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drarrily-we-row-along · 2 years

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July 9: Festival

It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that Harry didn't particularly enjoy art museums.

Art was pretty enough, he supposed, but honestly he wasn't quite sure what he was meant to do. How was he supposed to critique things? How was he meant to not say that some things that people put on display and called art looked just plain hideous?

His friends had insisted he come to a charity art gala exactly one time before realizing the catastrophic mistake they'd made and informing him he was never allowed in polite company again. Which honestly suited Harry just fine.

Still. Luna was a different matter entirely. Harry never had quite worked out how to say no to her. And with Ginny glaring menacingly behind her when she invited him to the art festival where she was displaying some of her work, he was hard pressed to say no.

Which was how he found himself wandering into a muggle park with white tents set up all over. Trying very hard to avoid making eye contact with the artists or looking at any of the art for too long. Especially the pieces that he didn't understand.

It felt like it had been an eternity of looking for Luna's tent, he really ought to have gone with someone else, when one of the artists at a tent got a little too enthusiastic to sell him something because he'd peeked in trying to find Luna. He did the only thing he could do and pretended that he'd been looking for the tent next door.

Only, the art in this tent was actually really pretty. "Woah," he said to himself as he took in the vibrant landscapes that had been lovingly brought to life on the canvas. The brush strokes, the paint itself seemed to bring the work to life in a way that made Harry wish he could jump in.

Without really thinking about it he started to reach out to touch the canvas, the hankering desire to feel the art vibrating at the core of his being.

"Potter," a voice he'd recognize anywhere drawled, "surely you know that you aren't supposed to touch paintings."

His hand snapped back and he turned to find Draco Malfoy leaning against the table in the back. Malfoy looked nothing like Harry remembered and he had a difficult time reconciling what he'd expected to see with what he was seeing.

Gone were the stiff, fussy outfits of their youth. In their place, Malfoy wore a pair of high-waisted flowing trousers; they were a pale pink and looked soft to the touch, swishing against Malfoy's body when he moved. On top was a white crop top that was fitted through the bodice but had flowing sleeves, and intricate straps that layered and crossed over each other and left tantalizing bits of shoulder and collarbone displayed. Malfoy's long blond hair was loosely braided, daisies and buttercups woven through.

"Oh for Salazar's sake," Malfoy snapped and Harry was brought back to himself. "Out with it, Potter. Whatever vicious slurs you want to throw at me, go ahead. I've heard them all already-"

"What?" he yelped. "No!" he said, "no," he reiterated, shaking his head for emphasis. "I wasn't thinking anything mean-"

"Right," he sneered, hands bracketing his narrow hips. "I'm sure that you wer-"

"I was thinking that you're really fucking pretty," Harry spat before he could actually think through the consequences of that sentence.

"Oh," Malfoy murmured, looking a bit stunned, cheeks flushing a lovely shade of pink.

Harry swallowed, "I just wasn't expecting it. I wasn't thinking anything mean," he repeated.

Malfoy's chin tipped up, "I'm gender fluid," was offered like a challenge.

He wondered how often that had led to a fight, wondered at Malfoy's bravery for a moment before asking, "What are your pronouns?"

Malfoy's shoulders eased, "they/them is my preference."

"Alright," Harry replied. "Do you still go by Draco?"

"I do," they said, looking at Harry appraisingly for a long moment as though he was something inconceivable.

"Can I call you Draco?" he asked because this person standing in front of him, free in their body for the first time since Harry had known them, was not the person he'd spit the surname Malfoy at when they were in school.

"Do you want to?" they replied a bit helplessly.

He couldn't help but smile, "Yeah. Yeah I do."

----------------------

Harry'd stayed at Draco's tent listening to them talk about their art, about the way they'd traveled; just left the whole world they knew behind to explore all the things they'd never known. "And it was beautiful," Draco said wistfully. "Merlin, it was so beautiful. And I just wanted to capture it all," they said gesturing around the tent helplessly. "Muggles have amazing technology for capturing images on their phones but it's not the same as actually creating it."

"So you just what?" he asked with a laugh, "picked up a paint brush and got to it?"

Draco flushed, "Well," they said, "Art is taught to pureblood children from a very young age. It's not a suitable career, but it is a prestigious hobby."

"Bucking all of those traditions, then," Harry laughed, gesturing around them at the tent.

They gave Harry a tentative smile and tucked a loose strand of fine blond hair behind their ear, "I like to think so."

Harry knew he was grinning like an absolute sod but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Then, "I don't have any artwork in my house."

Draco blinked at him, "Sorry?"

He shrugged, "I don't have any artwork. Like I just don't understand how to pick artwork that is right for a space."

"Honestly," they laughed, rolling their eyes. "It's not that hard."

"Would you help me?" he asked before he could really think through what he was asking. "Like, I would pay you," he continued quickly, "I just," he shrugged, "I really like your art and the way it makes me feel," he added a little sheepishly. "It would feel nice to have my house full of it."

Draco was blinking at him uncomprehendingly, like they couldn't understand what had just happened.

"Or not," he said backpedaling. "That's probably a really weird thing for someone to ask an artist for in retrospect. Right?" his palms felt itchy as he tried to fix it. "Sorry-"

"Harry," Draco said, their voice calm and warm, and it soothed something inside of him. "I would love to," they replied earnestly, "I've never had anyone ask me to do that, but I'd like to try."

"Great," he said, his tummy flipping at the thought of spending more time with Draco. "What, uh, what would you need next?"

"Do you know what you want?"

Harry shook his head.

"Sizes of paintings you'd need for your rooms?"

He shook his head again.

"Price range?"

"Money isn't," he cleared his throat, "Money isn't a problem."

Draco smirked, "There were rumors about the Potter vaults, you know."

"I did not," he replied with a little laugh.

"I always wondered when I was young," they said, "when nothing could fill the void of not being who I was, how you managed to not use your money at every conceivable moment."

"I-"

"Sorry," Draco said, standing up abruptly, "That was too much, I didn't mean-"

"Hey," Harry said, reaching out and grabbing their wrist, brushing his thumb along the smooth curve of flesh over bone. "You're not too much."

Draco looked like they wanted to run.

So Harry repeated himself, softly and slowly, keeping his eyes locked with Draco's, "You're not to much for me."

Their eyes slipped shut and the tension drained from their body.

And just as Harry was about to say something else, something about wanting rather desperately to know everything about Draco, another customer wandered in.

Draco pulled away, "leave me your number and we can schedule a time for me to look at your house so we can make a plan."

"Right," he said dazedly, hastily scribbling down his number on the pad of paper on Draco's table. "I'll talk to you soon?"

Draco gazed at him for a long moment before nodding. "Soon."

-------------------

Soon, as it happened, was a couple of hours later when Harry was having dinner with his friends, celebrating a big sale Luna had at her tent.

His phone buzzed and he looked down to see a message from a number he didn't recognize

Hello. This is Draco Malfoy. I wanted to reach out about a time that might be convenient for me to come and look at your home and make a plan for the art commission we'd discussed. My week this week is fairly open but I start traveling again next week.

He smiled down at the message before starting one of his own.

Hey! Thanks for getting back to me. Is tomorrow morning too soon?

He hit send then sent another:

I really liked seeing you today. Is that too much?

A message popped up a second later

Tomorrow morning works for me. Is 9:00 suitable? It's not too much.

He grinned and was about to reply when Ron said, "What's got you grinning at your phone like that?"

He laughed and shook his head, not quite ready to share Draco with his friends yet. It was too new, too exciting. And honestly he liked Draco too much to want to hear what his friends might say.

"It's not a what, it's a who," Luna replied airily.

Ginny perked up at that, "What's his name?" she asked at the same time as Ron spoke up again, "What's her name?"

"Their," he corrected absently.

"Ah," Luna said and Harry glanced over to see her broad smile. "I'm really happy for both of you," she said genuinely.

And their friends started clamoring over each other to ask Luna, which Harry found mildly amusing since she never gave straight answers. He turned back to his phone in the ensuing chaos.

9:00 sounds perfect. What do you like in your coffee? Do you like coffee?

I'm fairly certain that coffee is my one true love.

Stiff competition, then.

Are you flirting with me, Potter?

Depends.

On what?

Is it working?

There was a long pause and Harry worried a little that he'd pushed it too hard, too fast.

"Harry!" Ron shouted, from his tone it wasn't the first time.

He looked up, "What?"

"When are you seeing this mystery person again?" he asked and everyone seemed very invested in his answer.

His phone buzzed and Harry couldn't resist looking down to read the message.

Might be. We'll see how the coffee is in the morning. ;)

He couldn't stop the grin on his face if he'd wanted to. Draco Malfoy sent him a winking face.

"Well?" Hermione asked impatiently.

He looked up at them once more. "Tomorrow morning."

----------------------

Part 2

July 8: Postcard | July 10: Skating

Read more of my gentle July ficlets

#artist draco #drarry #soft #fluff #love #the author intends no offense to artists who make modern art #summer vibes #gentle july #sweet #harry's head over heels #Draco with braided hair is really it for me this summer #flowers #listen. i don't make the rules about how long these end up being.#i'm anticipating 3-4 parts total #but honestly who the heck know.#genderfluid draco #genderfluid draco is my fav.#my goal was genuinely to tag all of these suckers as one shots. alas.#Draco is really pretty and Harry is here for it.

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measuringbliss · 7 months

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Spider-Man Read-Through 029 The Ghost That Haunted Octopus (ASM 157-159, Ann 10)

MASTERPOST

In this batch, Peter, Doc Ock and May eat KFC together, Hammerhead's back in more ways than one, people throw trashcans at each other and

Ock has such peak schoolgirl behavior.

Remember what happened last time? Doc Ock's back in spite of an entire nuclear exploding with him on it. Can't wait to hear Marvel's explanation for that one, especially since I don't see him as a particularly interesting villain.

Just like last batch, this one begins with a tilted picture of Spidey against a carefully drawn backdrop. Ross Andru, I love you.

So Spidey wants to salvage the Spider-Mobile, and I'm elated. I didn't expect us to come back to it, but it's nice to see continuity. Sadly for me though, our hero can't find it aside from a small part. (There's also the question of how he'd get it out of the water, but all in good time!)

Ross Andru's art really improved, and it was great from the very beginning!

Meanwhile, if you're interested in the rest of the cast...

I'm grinning ear to ear. So Harry follows a therapy, that's good! He doesn't remember finding his father's equipement... and I have to assume, his showdown with Peter too. But "the weeks after" Norman's death certainly stretches it, doesn't it? Oh well. Handy way to stay vague. More importantly, something's going between Liz and Harry. Gee, I'm sure everything will go fine and no drama will happen in the next 50 years.

What am I saying? Let's just enjoy the present time.

And Otto's certainly enjoying his time, showering at May's and putting on that hideous suit of his. Just in time for Peter to arrive with a bucket full of crispy chicken he can't wait to share with his favorite (and only?) aunt.

He's less than enthused. Octavius's schoolgirl posture just compliments his fatigue.

The explanation is bonkers and yet oddly makes sense. It still made me laugh. So the reactor didn't explose right when Hammerhead dove into it, giving the time to Ock to find a protected hatch and secure himself in his indestructible mechanical arms.

Silly, but logical enough. Then the island actually exploded when Hammerhead unstuck himself from the reactor.

Suddenly, Hammerhead's ghost barges in and May does what she does best: she faints. Ock's quite annoyed and leaves with May, just as Peter gives us a nice backshot.

I have priorities, folks. I'm awake since 2 am, and it's almost 5. You can't be angry at me. I'll objectify my men however I can.

He puts on his Spidey suit and follows Ock, accidentally barging in a random lady's apartment. She has a ferocious dog though and she immediately orders him to attack Peter.

He escapes, then Ock gets into a chopper, Spidey webs himself to it, but Ock notices and slashes his web. The issue closes with our hero falling on a desert landscape! Oh no, will he survive?!

#158 starts with Spidey webbing up a glider. Why not! He still loses track of Ock and Aunt May. The next day...

MJ does have a nice outfit. I was afraid that MJ would be wary of Glory for trying to steal her man, but it seems like they're going to become friends instead and I'm totally here for it!

I'm also very much here for the objectification of one Peter Parker. It's giving Ripley on the Nostromo. And hey, they pass the Bechdel test!

At the Daily Bugle, we learn that a competitor has been hiring the Bugle's members. Robbie's afraid that they'd already contacted Peter.

They did not.

Still, with Betty being in Paris with Ned (I miss them already!), Jameson hired a new secretary, and we see a funny scene where she's trying her very best, which obviously doesn't cut it.

More importantly, Peter learns May is at the Brookhaven Labs and goes there as Spidey.

Long story short, Ock thinks he's about to disintegrate Hammerhead's ghost... but instead, the man's back in the flesh! Incredible, two villains I don't care much about. Ock at least has the ridiculous May plotline, but what does Hammerhead have?

In #159, the three enemies knock each other down at the same time, the henchmen in yellow confess they've been working to resurrect their boss Hammerhead this entire time, and Hammerhead escapes with May. Spidey and Ock vow to save her together.

I do appreciate that Spidey and Ock are allies for a chunk of this batch, but dear Lord, there really isn't enough civilian stuff for my taste. Thankfully, we get a bit right now.

Somewhere, people have saved the Spider-Mobile from annihilation... but it seems to be booby-trapped.

At the Bugle, Jameson's second new secretary is having just as hard a time as her predecessor. She quickly decides to value her life and quits.

Spidey and Ock find Hammerhead in his spinning circular office (I know we've seen it before, but I don't remember where and I'm too uninterested to search for it, isn't it a Mysterio issue?), Hammerhead escapes in a chopper and Ock throws trashcans at it until it explodes.

Pretty explosion at least!

Don't worry, May's fine.

What a mess of issues. Check the fluff, skip the chuffs.

In the readers' letters, Larry Twiss mentions Tomb of Dracula from several months earlier and my interest is piqued. Can't wait to reach that! He also mentions the first Superman/Spider-Man crossover and man, I have to read it!

Now, onto Annual 10!

So the main plot of the issue is not particularly interesting: Spidey stops a criminal, but he gets away and becomes the Fly thanks to a scientist Jameson bribes. The real plot, however, is that the Globe has been getting more popular than the Bugle recently, and I wonder if Peter's going to work there for a bit...

The Fly kills the scientist and kidnaps Jameson. If Spider-Man wants to save JJ, he's going to have to fight the Fly!

Sadly, Jameson created enemies for Spidey (when he isn't one himself) is just not a plot I care much about.

The Fly gets taken care of, and Peter stays at the Bugle.

Ooooooh, we're finally getting to the second magazine!

#spider-man #comics #comic books #peter parker #peter parker is hot #aunt may #doc ock

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jae-daddy · 4 years

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magic (4)

Draco Malfoy Fanfic

one / two / three / five / six

pairing: draco x reader genre: shifting realities, romance, clown shit plot: you mistaken shift realities too well and end up in harry potter universe with draco malfoy as your companion a/n: i need to stop getting carried away and writing so much lmao. hope yall enjoy it <3 not edited

"Can’t you magic this, so it’s a bit bigger?” You walked out wearing the white and green jumper Draco got for you.

Draco just ignored you and straightened his collar. His hair brushed back, and the black suit stark against his pale skin.

He was undeniably the most attractive human you had ever seen. The TikTok, movies and pictures did not do justice to his beauty. The one that existed in your universe dulled down his beauty.

You had realised on the second night you spent here, that while Draco did look like Tom Felton, he was, in fact, not Tom Felton. It was him, but not him. It was Draco Malfoy. In this universe, no Tom Felton was playing the character, it was just Draco Malfoy, and he was magnificent.

Your eyes met his sliver ones through the reflection, making you frown as you gestured to your outfit.

“I was hoping for a more oversized, boyfriend’s-jersey aesthetic,” you muttered as you spun in front of the mirror. “I mean, it’s not bad, but a little bigger would just be perfect.”

“It won’t make a difference,” Draco sighed, as he turned to face you. “You will still remain a hideous muggle.”

You rolled your eyes at him, as he walked past you. “Not everything is about you Malfoy. This is about self-confidence and love.”

“Are you coming?” He ignored you, as he held the door open for you.

You looked at him with butterflies dancing in your stomach as your palms got sweaty. You gulped as you looked beyond him to the dark hallway outside.

Your eyes glanced at Draco’s face to find him watching you impatiently. You wiped your palms on the pair of joggers you had borrowed from Draco.

You were nervous. You had thought about leaving this room a thousand times over the past week, but now that the moment was here, you were scared.

What if you didn’t remain invisible? What if you’re somehow caught?

What would happen to you? What would happen to Draco?

Your shaky gaze fixed on Draco once more, and his face softened slightly as he gave you a small reassuring nod.

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. With your fists clenched tightly by your side, you marched outside of the room. You felt yourself brush past Draco, and the door close behind you.

You remained still; your eyes shut tight as you stood there unmoving.

“Let’s go, muggle,” Draco whispered in your ear, making you jump. He looked at you his eyes lighting up with amusement as he smirked at you. He was enjoying seeing you so on the edge.

“I wouldn’t worry as much if I were you,” Draco pulled you by the elbow as he began strutting down the stretching hallway. “My parents have left for the game long ago, and no one is here to see you in all your disgusting muggle glory.”

You glared at his head, before relaxing by his side.

He led you through the maze, called Malfoy Mansion, until you were finally outside.

You almost hissed as the sunlight assaulted your eyes.

“I feel like a vampire,” you muttered, making Draco chuckle.

“You really do not want to feel like a vampire,” he snickered, making you turn to him with eyes wide in surprise.

“No way!” You gasped. “There are actual vampires here? Are they hot?”

Draco peered at you with absolute disgust, “I will choose to ignore whatever you just said.”

“I guess not then,” you sighed as you folded your arms and stomped behind him. You hoped you could get a little mixture of every supernatural fantasy, maybe dip your toe into the Twilight world before you returned home.

Your steps stopped as you approached a beautiful red car. It was a real vintage that you only saw in movies or sportscar conventions. The top was down, and you were ready for a vintage seventies trip.

“Wow,” you awed as you ran your fingers over the cool metal as you made your way to the passenger side.

“I know,” Draco smiled brightly, as he sat into the driver's seat.

You stared at him before snorting at his ridiculous actions.

“Does this car drive itself?” You snorted at him as he put on his sunglasses. He pointed to the middle, and just like magic, another pair appeared. You put them on rolling your eyes.

“It can,” he shrugged after a moment, before starting the engine with a button. “But I like driving it.”

“Draco, do you even have your license?” You quirked an eyebrow at the boy.

“Of course I do,” he sneered, but he was too happy to make it hateful. “The only reason I got this for my birthday last year was that I passed.”

“Aww,” you swooned at him, sarcastically. “Daddy bought you a nice car for your sweet sixteen?”

Draco smirked at you, bringing his glasses down a bit before winking, “I’m twenty-two.”

The car drove off speedily, as he rammed the pedal.

“Fuck off,” you shot back. “You’re still in high school.”

Draco just snickered, the wind blew through his hair. He rested his elbow on the edge, letting the wind run through his fingers. He smiled, as tilted his head back and you almost screamed at him to look at the road.

“We learned about your education system in muggle studies,” he spoke, not looking at you. “It is quite a scam, really. But we do not have what you muggles call universities. Hogwarts and other magical institutions teach everything you need to know.”

“Then how do you become a scholar?” You furrowed your eyebrows. It doesn’t make sense that education is limited to just a few years of study, and then expect wizards to know all.

“You work in that field, you dedicate your life to that magic,” he shrugged, before continuing. “The wizarding world is not built on capitalism where jobs are everything. Wizards do not need a job to survive.”

You nodded taking it all that in. You sunk into your seat and looked at the scene that rushed past you. It was beautiful.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re still in Hogwarts,” you frowned at him.

Draco just sighed, annoyed. “Hogwarts is all the education a wizard needs. I shouldn’t have to spell out that would take some time. Each Hogwarts year is two years long.”

“The maths doesn’t add up.” You muttered, folding your arms as you turned away from him. You watched as the plain hills and lakes rushed by you.

You closed your eyes and welcomed the cold crisp wind jolting you awake.

“Don’t stress your pretty muggle mind,” was all Draco said.

__________

“Draco,” you stopped the blonde boy as he reached for another vile. “I know I’m not an expert at magic, but I do have a feeling that it is quite possible to overdose on potions.”

Draco stared at you, his eyes examining you and then the bottle in his hand. He sighed as he put in back.

“I guess two should be enough,” and then as an afterthought put two more into the inner pockets of his jacket. “Alright, stand still now.”

He pulled out a small jar from his bag and he opened it to reveal black paint. He dipped two fingers in before motioning you to come closer. You stood in between his parted legs, as he sat on the hood of his car parked a few miles away from where the Quidditch World Cup was taking place.

You gasped slightly as the cool paint touched your face. You tried hard not to look at Draco’s face, despite the burning feeling of his gaze fixed on you.

You gulped to calm your heart that was beating louder than it should be.

Draco’s fingers dragged along your cheek, leaving two lines. And then he held your chin with his thumb turning your face to the other side.

Your eyes met his piercing ones, and your breath got caught at the back off your throat.

God, you thought he was gorgeous from far away. But right now, from this close, you realised there were no words to describe just how incredibly good-looking he was. His skin was clear, soft and reminded you of snow-covered mountains in the middle of blooming winter. You realised his eyes weren’t blue or grey, no, there were a colour that reminded you of winter mornings.

You felt your cheeks heat as his eyes took you in.

You felt his fingers touch your face with the cool paint.

Draco took his time, his hands moving slowly as he softly ran his fingers along your cheeks. You didn’t want them to ever stop, you wanted it to continue.

You wanted his fingers to trace your ear, then travel down your neck, and keep moving south.

You bit your lip as your eyes shut involuntarily.

You could feel the vicious victory smile plastered smugly on Draco’s handsome face but you couldn’t bring yourself to open your eyes.

Draco’s fingers stopped on your cheek by your ear, and you thought it was over.

But then you felt the ghost of his touch trail down. His knuckles tracing the slope of your face for the slightest moment, and then it was gone.

He pushed you back, making your eyes shoot open.

You stared at him, glowering, before fear flashed through them as Draco pulled out his wand.

He snorted, as he rose a perfect eyebrow at you, “Scared, muggle?”

You rolled your eyes as you chuckled at him, “Are you trying to create sexual tension with me as you do with Harry Potter?”

Draco took a deep breath as if holding onto the last bit of self-control he had. He opened his eyes, burning with anger, his jaw locked.

“You’re not denying it,” you smirked, folding your arms.

“Do not test me, muggle,” he sneered, his voice dripping with so much anger, you took a step back in fear.

The smirk fell from your lips as your eyes bounced between the ground and the vicious muggle-hating boy.

He cleared his throat after a moment, his stiff body relaxing slightly. You didn’t follow his shift in tension and remained on the edge of the road not nearing him.

Draco noticed but didn’t say anything.

“Time to make you invisible.” He got up from the car, and walked towards you, his wand dancing between his long fingers.

___________

“I’m so excited!” you giggled as you turned to a sour-faced Draco. “I’ve never gone to quidditch game before.”

“Lucky you,” he muttered, sourly, his eyes following you. “Your first game, and it is in the Minister’s box.”

You just giggled as you skipped along, only to stop when you noticed the older Malfoy laughing with some old man.

Draco came behind you, his breath brushing your ear, “Stay behind me.”

You nodded trailing behind him.

You didn’t speak or move while you were around Lucius Malfoy. You weren’t sure if you were even breathing at times.

You must’ve been doing a good job because Draco would look over his shoulder occasionally to check if you were still there.

You watched Draco meet the other old men, and kept looking around for someone who might be suspicious.

It wasn’t until halfway through the game when Draco got up from his seat and turned to his father.

“Would it be alright for me to go greet Goyle and Crabbe?” He asked, his eyes darting to you for a split second. “I’ve spotted them down in first.”

Lucius Malfoy just waved a hand, but Draco didn’t need more as he began walking away, with you hot on his heels.

“Oh my god,” you whined as you both stopped somewhere on the stairs. “I couldn’t even enjoy the game properly I was so scared.”

Draco stared at you for a moment before snorting.

He pulled out a ticket from his coat, and then, after a second, a lady with a cart appeared.

“Greetings, sir,” the lady grinned, before gesturing to the cart. “What would you like?”

Draco lifted an eyebrow to you as you took in the delicious food displayed.

“Hotdogs?” You asked Draco who hadn’t looked away from you. “What is traditional to have at these games?”

“Two hotdogs,” Draco told the lady, and instantly two appeared in his hands. He didn’t say thank you, and the lady didn’t wait, disappearing right after.

He handed you one.

“Thank you,” you whispered, taking a big bite. You chewed the most delicious hotdog you had ever tasted, and Draco snickered as he saw your eyes widen.

You rolled your eyes as you saw him begin to gloat from the pride of his Wizard world, and how your muggle realm couldn’t even compare. He was right, but you couldn’t stand his smug face.

You sniffled as the cool wind ran through your hair. You looked out to the field where a team scored another goal.

“Good thing you got merch for the winning team,” you smiled at Draco who frowned.

“I was hoping they would lose.” He clipped back.

“You would rather have me visible, then stand next to you in clothes supporting the losing team, Draco,” you shook your head at him, giggling.

Draco looked out onto the field, “Or maybe I’m living through you.”

Your smile flattered as you took in the young boy.

There he was standing in the middle of the finals of the biggest quidditch tournament of the season. The crowds roaring behind him in the bright stadium lights as he remained polished in his black suit and perfect hair. He couldn’t even support the team he wanted.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he spat as his eyes looked at you. “I don’t need your pity, filthy muggle.”

You glared at him before looking above you.

“Oh my, it’s Harry Potter,” you gasped.

Draco followed your gaze and then growled in distaste, rolling his eyes.

_____________

Draco’s father had disappeared by the time you returned to the Minister’s box, but neither of you minded. You walked through the crowds as you took in all the different people jeer around you.

You followed the crowd as it led towards a ground filled with tents and lights.

“What’s that?” you breathed looking over the crowd milling over the place.

“That’s the sewer,” Draco spat scanning the area with disgust. Your eyes met his and he rolled his eyes as the poison lessened. “It’s the breeding ground for muggles, blood traitors and mudbloods.”

You ignored his bad behaviour and looked over at the place in longing instead. You took in the rides, music and laughter and felt the need to go there.

“Can we go?” You asked Draco in the sweetest way you could.

“No,” he bit back in disgust.

“Please?” You begged, making Draco’s face curl into a sneer.

“Fine,” you huffed and began marching off by yourself. “I’ll go explore by myself. You can wait for me here if you want.”

You heard Draco groan in frustration before you heard loud footsteps behind you, “Five minutes.”

You turned to him with a huge grin, “Thank you!”

Draco rolled his eyes and followed your happy skipping form into the campsite.

However, your happiness didn’t last long. An unsettling feeling settled into your stomach making it churn with nerves. You looked around the campsite you were pretty well inside, and you felt your hands begin to shake.

The air thickened with ominous energy, some darkness, but you couldn’t put your finger in.

“What’s wrong?” Draco ordered from beside you. You turned to look at him with glazed eyes. He stared at you, his brows furrowing.

A little kid ran up to you, holding onto your hand, “Do you want to know your destiny, mam?”

You turned to the kid, your mind raging, but you nodded offering him a small smile.

Draco muttered something under his breath but followed closely behind you nonetheless.

You looked at the site, and images began flashing through your mind. It was scenes from the movies. It was the golden trio, and the Weasley twins... and something else, something else you couldn’t remember.

Suddenly, you remembered screams and pain.

You looked around looking for some clue, but you couldn’t remember.

The kid took you inside a tent, a dark-faced Draco behind you, his eyes focused on you.

And then it hit you.

Hot. Flames. Fire. Lucius Malfoy. Death Eaters.

You turned to Malfoy with wide-eyes but it wasn’t almost as if he saw your mind.

“We need to get out of here. Now.” He ordered, grabbing your hand and pulling you away.

Before you were out, you turned to the kid, your throat dry, “Run. Get your friends and family, tell everyone to run, now.”

The kid looked frightened but then nodded running off.

Draco kept leading you out, and somewhere in the distance, a woman’s bloodcurdling scream rang through the night.

You both turned to see flames erupt across the sea of tents, spreading fast. Draco’s grip tightened on your hand as he began running towards the forest.

You could feel the heat of the flames closing in around you. The temperature rising with every step you tried taking away from it. And then you were beating it, the flames moving further and further away as Draco took you to the forest.

You stopped at the edge and turned to the sight in front of you.

The music, lights and happiness all burning in the flames of hell now. Screams and cries tore through the night, and you felt your heart tear into pieces.

You fell onto your knees as each cry of pain cut through your skin. You held onto Draco’s hand, squeezing it tight to keep you in reality. You closed your eyes as a heartwrenching sob fell from you.

Your body shook as uncontrollable sobs raked through your body.

You could’ve stopped it. You could’ve done something. If only you remembered.

Your hand gripped the front of your jumper, thumping against your chest as you silently shook as your sorrow and guilt tore through your body.

Draco didn’t move. He stood there, cold.

His hand limp in yours as you squeezed it tight.

“Shouldn’t you be getting that one out of here?” His cold words spoke. You opened your eyes to find the golden trio. Your eyes met Hermonine’s for a moment before Harry and Ron dragged her away.

Draco didn’t move. He watched as flames raged on. He stood there as you clutched onto his hand as if your life depended on it.

The camp was nothing but smoke and ashes when you finally stopped crying. You felt empty. You didn’t have anything inside you.

Draco bent down to your side, his voice void of any emotion, “Let’s go.”

You turned towards him, letting him help you up. Once you were standing up, you looked into his eyes as tears fell from your eyes.

“I could’ve saved them, Draco.”

#draco malfoy #draco #draco x reader #draco x y/n #Slytherin #Draco angst #fluff #harry potter #jaedaddy #Malfoy #magic #hope y'all enjoy it #im having too much fun writing this #shifting realities

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yuusa · 3 years

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𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝟔

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟐𝟗𝟐𝟔

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥

𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝟔:

You squinted your eyes at the costume presented in front of you. Although they did follow your specifications, you couldn’t believe that you were actually going through with their plans. Your classmate brought up the gifted costume and you held up the outfit towards your face.

You sighed before turning to look at Yuki who had already gowned his outfit. You pressed your lips together as you stared at the frilly costume, finding yourself uncomfortable looking at him. It wasn’t that the costume was hideous, or that Yuki didn’t look good, they both don’t pair well together at all. You thought that he had it the worst when it came to handling his own fanbase.

As you looked around, the classroom was close to being done and ready to open. You excused yourself as you made your way to the back of the class where the curtain was. You silently motioned Tohru to keep a watch of the area as you quickly changed into your costume to avoid wasting any time. You were pleased to see that the material wasn’t scratching against your skin or even the color red. You slid each of the components on and clipped the necessary accessaries before pulling the curtains back, revealing your figure in its glory.

Your hair was tied back in a low ponytail, the long jacket of yours shaped to be a pair of wings that flowed with the open window breeze. It hung on your shoulders while you donned a pair of black gloves. There were many layers to this outfit and you were glad it wasn’t the middle of summer. You adjusted the cravat around your neck as you stepped out towards the center of the classroom, many of the boys swooning over your appearance while a small number of girls commented on the costume choice. The suit fitted nicely around your breasts, making you wonder about the sizing for this outfit.

“T-The perfect fit!” Someone shouted.

“This was so worth the price!”

You huffed before placing your hand on your hip, giving the audience your signature cold stare. You heard various sounds of camera flashes as you stood still for your classmates to take photos.

Yuki stood by your side almost speechless, unable to form any sort of sentence to you. The costume fitted you quite nicely and the jacket looked similar to a cape. In a way, he felt as if he was the one unable to match your appearance.

You stood tall and confidently while he cowered a bit in his costume. You were playing the part of a prince quite well as the boys begged you to roleplay a specific scene for photos. There were times that your hair slipped over your shoulder, revealing the black ribbon you used to tie your hair back. When you pulled on your glove, stared at the camera with your sharp (e/c) eyes, and called out to the audience, you were really selling the part.

Once word got out that you opened your classroom doors, there were many students flooding into the room to take photos and eat. You questioned whether or not Yuki felt overwhelmed by the amount of attention on him, but you also needed to focus on the special requests people are sending.

“Five onigiris for a special request photo! Selling five onigiris! Come get your onigiris with special photographs with Sohma-san and (L/n)-san!” Uotani announced, racking up a massive line behind the onigiri stand.

When you were going to ask Yuki about the situation, you were immediately silenced by the micro-banged fanclub president who began monitoring Yuki’s personal space. You sighed before turning away from him, not noticing the stare Yuki gave you as he frowned.

“A-Ah. . . Umm. . . (L/n)-san! Can you do a kabedon for my friend!” One classmate asked, her friend blushing immensely at her embarrassing request.

You gave her a gentle smile, “alright.”

You grabbed onto her hand and pulled her towards you as you maneuvered your body so that she would be placed against the chalkboard behind you. She gasped when you slammed your gloved hand next to her head while you towered over her shorter figure. You reached out to tilt her chin upwards so the two of you made eye contact.

“Is this alright with you, princess?” You smirked, causing the girl to feel the heat rushing to her cheeks as she squealed, her friend quickly taking photos of the moment while the rest of the boys gathered behind them. You internally groaned on the inside as you prepared yourself for a wave of requests flooding in.

“Do this pose next (L/n)-san!”

“Look over at this camera!”

“(L/n)-san you’re looking great okay!”

Tohru watched as you took every single special request, admiring your impressive acting skills as you took on every single offer. Despite straining your cheeks to smile at everyone, you were willing to put yourself through the pain if it meant selling Tohru’s onigiris.

“(Y/n)-kun and Yuki-kun are doing a good job selling our onigiris. They both look really good!” Tohru commented, to which Uotani smugly added on.

“I helped organize her costume after all.”

Tohru smiled at her, “you’re amazing Uo-chan!”

“Right?! It’s a great looking costume.” Uotani patted herself on the back.

“The rat boy has a whole complex with his face.” Kyo said, “he probably likes the attention he’s getting.”

As you were holding a girl in your arms, you noticed the presence of an unknown boy coming into the room. When you turned your head to see his appearance, he disappeared from the door. He immediately jumped onto Yuki’s back, speaking German. Who is that? You thought.

“Momiji, Don’t wander off on your own.” A taller, much older figure came into the classroom, holding onto his coat and draping it over his arm.

“Oh! Harry!” Momiji hooked his arms around Yuki’s neck, still attached to him.

What you presume to be Harry walked towards Yuki, greeting him formally. You raised your eyebrow at the scene in front of you, were they part of Yuki’s family? The rest of the girls in the class swooned over their appearance, most likely drooling over the thought of other Sohmas being at their school.

“Guten tag! I’m Sohma Momiji! I’m half-Japanese and half-German!” He wore this dark brown cowboy hat with childish clothing, he was extremely short and his voice made you believe he was only a small child, “and this is Sohma Hatori! We’re both related to Yuki and Kyo!”

So they were his family. You wondered what was the occasion for them to actually come over considering the fact that Shigure wasn’t here. Then again, you barely knew any of the Sohmas on a personal level, probably not as much as Tohru who was gushing over an unknown thought.

You twirled the girl around in your arms, her friends still taking photos of you and her together. She was holding onto your arm tightly as to not let go when you both had to part for the next request. You had almost forgotten you had your own job to do as the Sohmas soaked up most of the attention.

“With that out of the way--Yuki, since when did you turn into a girl?” Hatori turned to face Yuki who was bubbling up on the inside with frustration and embarrassment.

“You’ve seen me naked dozens of times, and you still ask me that with a straight face?” Despite his need to tell Hatori to keep quiet, he still walked over to him as Hatori whipped out a stethoscope, examining his heartbeats. “He’s a doctor. You don’t have to examine me here.”

You pressed your lips together, if he had some sort of physical ailment, you wondered the reason behind his extreme running prowess. During Physical Education he and Kyo would often go against each other to run laps and you never had suspected he had to see a personal doctor.

“I do because you broke your promise of coming once a month for a check-up.” Hatori clarified.

Tohru gasped in surprise before making her way to Yuki’s side, “Sohma-kun, are you ill?”

Hatori took off the stethoscope, “Yuki has bronchial problems. He had frequent attacks when he was younger.”

“Are you Honda Tohru?” He asked, he later turned his attention over towards you, your eyes focused on him intensely almost stalking his every move out in the open.

Tohru politely bowed, “yes! Pleased to meet you!”

“I see. You really are a normal girl,” he commented, moving his eyes away from yours.

You raised your eyebrow at his statement, was Hatori trying to imply that Tohru had something other than her blind kindness which made her unusual? You wondered what reason he had for even coming to the school at this point. It certainly doesn’t seem like he really needed to visit and examine Yuki here at the school.

Yuki brought himself between Tohru and Hatori, separating the two of them and becoming a wall for him. The sound of a girl screaming caught the attention of the class as they all turned to Momiji who was sitting on top of the sign.

“What are you doing you idiot?!” Kyo forcefully dragged him down from the sign and pulled him into the curtain of the backroom. Tohru turned to Yuki to excuse herself and ran over to the back.

You frowned while watching Hatori interact with Yuki, silently trying to pick up on their conversation.

“Why are you here?” Yuki asked.

“Take your complaints to Momiji. He brought over a festival flyer and then Akito wanted to come.” Yuki stared at him in shock as he continued, “Akito has a 39° fever, so I used my doctor veto but I end up having to come instead. Relax, I didn’t come to do anything to Honda Tohru.”

Akito? Who was that? You narrowed your eyes at the name. What exactly was Tohru hiding with the Sohma family? Is she somehow connected to them on a deeper level? You pressed your finger onto your chin as you stared off into thought, your sea of photographers still taking photos of your “cool” attitude.

The sound of an explosion erupted in the classroom, a yellow smoke coming out of the bottom of the curtains as the students gathered around. Your eyes widened when you noticed Yuki starting to bring the attention back to him, calling himself weird as he fidgeted in his dress. You pressed your lips together in a firm line as you watched the class gather around him, clearly being distracted by him while Tohru ran off with Kyo and a yellow rabbit. You watched as the class became fascinated by Yuki’s acting and you quickly left the room to follow Tohru, Hatori’s eyes watching you closely.

You trailed behind the two when they went up towards the roof, carrying the animal up. As you reached the top of the steps, you felt the calloused hand of Hatori’s grab onto your arm, pulling you back.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked.

You clicked your tongue before ripping your arm away from him, “shouldn’t I be asking you the same question? What is with you and Tohru-kun? What are you to her?”

“That is none of your business.”

“So you and she do have something?” You narrowed your eyes at him. “What was that explosion then? Where did Momiji Sohma-san go? I highly doubt he was still behind that curtain.”

You crossed your arms around your chest, creating a barrier between you and Hatori at the steps to the rooftop. “For someone who is a doctor, you sure are hiding quite a bit.”

“For one, this doesn’t concern y-”

“You’re involving Tohru-kun, are you implying she is also part of your family? Doesn’t that make her even more suspicious now?” Hatori noticed the sharpened gaze of your eyes as you stared down at him from the top of the steps, almost like a bird of prey watching it’s food moments before it’s flight, “What are you hiding that is so important?”

Hatori opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by Yuki’s presence running up the stairs. He huffed in exhaustion before straightening his back to see you and Hatori at the stairs. You internally cringe seeing the pink and white dress contrast his appearance.

“(L/n)-san. . . What are you doing here?” He asked.

You turned to Hatori and went back to Yuki, “are you both hiding something?”

“Eh? What makes you say that?” He could feel himself starting to sweat underneath the dress from nervousness.

“If you’re not, I’m going up to the roof then.” Before you can turn around and walk up the stairs, Yuki grabbed a hold of your hand and dragged you back to the bottom of the stairs.

“W-Wait, I have something to talk about first.” You raised your eyebrow at the strange turn of events.

You sighed before letting Yuki take you to a secluded corner of the stairs while Hatori went up to the roof. When he had backed you against the wall, he tilted his head up to look at you.

“A-Ah. . . Um. . .” He mumbled, trying to think of a way to not crumble underneath your intimidating glare. “I just wanted to say that. . . You did a good job today.”

“Is that so?” You hummed, clearly displeased by the conversation topic. He noticed the lack of stutter from your voice as you dipped lower in tone, “it still doesn’t answer my question.”

“I. . .” He bit his tongue, stressed out about the situation of how to explain everything to you without having you discover the family secret. “I’m sorry. I just can’t tell you.”

“Why?” You asked, your emotions bubbling with frustration and rage, “I thought we were friends, Yuki Sohma-san.” You sneered.

“W-Well, we are but. . .” He trailed off. “I just. . . I can’t tell you right now.”

You grit your teeth as your anger pumped through your veins. What was it that was so special that it had to interrupt the class festival? Why involve someone like Tohru? Who are Hatori and Momiji? Who is Akito, why did they want to come? What is the connection? None of this is lining up and it was frustrating the hell out of you.

Was this the feeling of jealousy?

You instinctively raised your hand, your irritation of the situation getting to your head, as you almost brought it towards his face but froze midway. Yuki seemed to have flinched as he saw your hand but you dropped it to your side, lifeless. The dullness and emotionless look of your eyes were shown through the dimly lit corner.

“Whatever.” You responded, a hint of venom in your tone as you saw his eyes widen in shock. You shoved past Yuki and speed-walked towards the nearest girls' bathroom, leaving him alone in the corner of the staircase, withering away with guilt on the inside.

You slammed the bathroom door shut, breathing heavily as you bent over the sink, taking in your reflection in the mirror. Your hair was slightly disheveled and your cravat was a bit loose. You yanked the ribbon from your hair and slammed your hand onto the sink, the material cracking slightly under the pressure.

Why were you so annoyed at this?

You bit your tongue as your mind tried to rack up every possible scenario which could have made sense. You brushed your hair back, before reaching out to your reflection. Your eyes were cold as ever, the (e/c) color doing nothing to soften the angry expression you had. Your piercing eyes glaring back at you.

It wasn’t like you and him were close from the beginning, you bitterly thought, you slid your hand down to your side, your fists tightening as your nails tried to dig through the glove material. Compared to someone like Tohru, you were nothing to him. What had happened between the two of you was simply for the sake of Tohru, it was to make her happy seeing the two of you become friends. It was just some sort of play date that was set up.

You growled in frustration as you glared at your reflection in the mirror. The exhaustion shining through your pupils. It didn’t matter in the end, you were better off forgetting about this experience and distancing yourself away from the family. You held no value to them and you wanted. . . No, you needed to accept this fact. You wiped away at the small tears forming at the corner of your eyes, concealing the sniffles as you took deep breaths.

You sighed before taking the ribbon and tying your hair back, readjusting your costume, and swinging the bathroom door open. You made your way back to the classroom, seeing the smiles of your classmates light up at the sight of you back.

“Fifteen onigiris for five special request photos! Let’s go all out!” You swung out your arms, a forced smile spread across your face as the classroom roared with excitement. Everyone quickly gathered around your form, filling the empty void from Princess Yuki with your presence.

While your heart may have hardened that day, the feeling of betrayal sinking into your bones, you wanted nothing more than to please the people around you.

#fruits basket #fruits basket x reader #x reader #yuki sohma #yuki sohma x reader #yuki soma #yuki soma x reader

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atamascolily · 3 years

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Unicorn Chronicles, Book 3: “Dark Whispers,” by Bruce Coville

Whenever people grumble about how long it's been since their favorite fanfic updated, I can't help but smile a little in sympathy. As someone who's read a lot of CLAMP manga, I've grown used to the stutter-stop of hiatuses and discontinued stories that will never be finished. To quote the Princess Bride, "Get used to disappointment". It's just an occupational hazard.

I know people who only read completed stories, but I would have missed out on a lot of great material and works that really matter to me if I followed their example. It also meant that I got really good at imagining what happens next.

So it was a delight to discover that Bruce Coville had actually finished the Unicorn Chronicles when I was busy with other stuff (i.e., life) and there were two more volumes. Coville specifically thanks readers for nagging him about finishing, which is simultaneously #hilarious and #relatable.

Song of the Wanderer came out in 1999, right on the cusp of the Harry Potter boom that shook up the juvenile fantasy genre. (Both series are published by Scholastic.) Dark Whispers came out in 2008, and you can see how much the genre has shifted in the cover art alone:

This is gorgeous art by Petar Mesedlzija, but it only tangentially fits the descriptions in the books: Cara doesn't really wear anything like this outfit, and the story emphasizes she keeps braiding her hair to keep it from tangling. She has a sword, but she doesn’t really ever use it?

Furthermore, the layout, design, and chapter headings of Dark Whispers are clearly meant to capitalize on Harry Potter: Grimmwold has a looping signature reminiscent of Dumbeldore's in the opening prologue, for instance. It's a very different feel from the way the first two volumes were presented, and tbh, I miss the old way that has gone the way of the dinosaurs now.

Inevitably, with such a long gap between volumes, Dark Whispers ended up with a very different style and tone than its predecessors. The most obvious difference is that it's REALLY LONG--464 pages in hardcover. Some of this increase in length is attributable to Harry Potter proving that giant fantasy tomes can sell like hotcakes, and some of it is the fact that the storyline is now really big, with a lot of different players moving in different directions.

Inevitably, this means that instead of following Cara's POV for the entire book, as we did in the first two volumes, we are constantly shifting narrators. It's completely understandable, but as a reader, I find it really annoying--like I am suddenly reading an entirely different series with overlapping plot and characters. It's not that this new series is bad, per se, it's just... not what I imagined when I was making up the ending in my head in the early 2000s. I do not know if this disjunct would be so obvious or unsettling to someone who was reading all four volumes together for the first time.

Anyway, so since it's been literally a decade, Coville makes the sensible decision to open with a recap from Grimmwold, in his role as the keeper of the Unicorn Chronicles: unicorns and human hunters are at war; the latter are lead by an immortal woman named Beloved with a personal grudge against the unicorns, and she just got an amulet so she can invade Luster.

In Cara's plotline, she is still coming to terms with the fact that her grandmother, Ivy Morris, was a unicorn in disguise, and is now Queen Amalia Flickerfoot. Her grandfather Jaques is super depressed (because literary references, yo) and also because this is super-weird for him, too. As they prepare for Beloved's assault on Luster, Grimmwold reveals that pages from the Unicorn Chronicles are missing, and that others reveal an unsettling prophecy about unicorns confronting their own darkness and a mysterious figure called the Whisperer.

Another human, Alma Leonetti, comes forth and suggests that the centaurs might know more details. The Queen sends Cara and her friends to investigate, while Jaques and Thomas the Tinker go on separate missions. Thomas does give her a watch that marks the days and also explodes, so you know right away she's gonna need both on her trip. M'Gama the geomancer is trying to determine where and when the Hunters will invade: the date is the forthcoming Blood Moon, but she's still working out the details on the place.

Grimmwold tells the group a story about Alma Leonetti, and how she tracked down the wizard Bellenmore, who opened the gate to Luster for the unicorns. Bellenmore has a snarky talking lizard and great tastes in decorating:

On the mantel above the fireplace stood a row of earthenware mugs with hideous faces. One of them winked at me; another leered and rolled its eyes; a third stuck out its tongue and made a rude noise. Then they began to sing a bawdy song until Bellenmore waved a hand to silence them.

Alma bluffs her way to Luster and eventually persuades the unicorns to keep one of their kind on Earth so humans don't forget true beauty and goodness and the spark is kept alive. The hunters keep trying to kill the Guardian, but they always replace the fallen with a new one and the cycle repeats.

We also learn that Ivy summoned Moonheart to heal Cara as a child, which is what alerted Beloved to her presence, forcing her to kidnap Cara and flee because Beloved wanted the child, too. Ian Hunter was a first grade teacher who had no idea about any of this until Cara disappeared and he was radicalized by Beloved and went through an intensive training camp she's built up for her army.

Meanwhile, Ian is in India, tracking down the Rainbow Prison where Beloved has imprisoned his wife. He makes a deal with a mysterious entity, the Blind Man, trading occasional use of his sight for the knowledge he needs. Beloved's men attack Ian, but he is saved by a street urchin named Rajiv who is eager for adventure, and the mysterious Fallon, who is trying to find a doorway to Luster. The three of them team up and head for the Himalayas to find the doorway to the Rainbow Prison while Beloved's forces pursue them. We learn that Fallon is super-hot and also seeking his best bro Elihu, in a relationship that I'm pretty sure was sexual although it's never stated directly.

There's also a plotline involving the delvers - the evil dwarves we mostly forgot about in Book 2. The King keeps talking to the Whisperer, and sending his subjects to do Evil Things as the alliance with Beloved continues. (The delvers do not love humans, but they hate unicorns and so the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" at least temporarily).

The plotlines converge when the delvers attack M'Gama the earthmancer's house and steal a macguffin and kill Flensa, M'Gama's servant. Cara's party splits up, with Finder and Belle hunting the macguffin while Cara and Lightfoot continue on. Finder is killed (sob) and Belle regrets being a jerk to him. Cara's group is attacked by delvers and she is captured and taken underground. (The delvers either don't know Beloved has an amulet already/don't care/want one for their own purposes.) Cara tosses the amulet into an abyss when it fails to transport her to earth, and she is imprisoned in the dungeons with a delver dissident who has had his name ritually stripped from him for defiance.

Cara renames the delver "Rocky" and the Squijum shows up with the amulet and steals the key. They meet up with Grimmwold, and escape. They also encounter the gryphon Medafil, who is lost below ground, only to wake a monster known as the schwartz, a Terminator-like blind dragon that never gives up pursuit. Cara defeats it using the expanding light sphere from Medafil's nest, and they emerge in the centaur's valley, where Belle is waiting for them with the news of Finder's death.

The centaurs are standoffish, but eventually Cara persuades their leader Chiron to spill the beans: after the war with Beloved began, the unicorns decided to expunge all the darkness from their souls with the aid of a magician named Elihu (hi!), which gained sentience and has been egging Beloved on ever since. It's also corrupted the delvers,which is why they hate unicorns so much. In exchange for the info, Cara agrees to mercy-kill Chiron, which none of the centaurs can do for personal reasons. Cara reports this story to the unicorns, who are all :shrug emoji: about it.

Meanwhile Ian and company are stuck in the Rainbow Prison, the Dimblethum is being tormented by the Whisperer, and ends up taking the macguffin the delvers stole and placing it at the Axis Mundi, the world-tree of Luster, so that Beloved and her forces can enter there. Lightfoot tries to stop the Dimblethum but isn't in time. And the book ends on the seriously metal note of Beloved opening the portal beneath the blood moon and invading Luster with her army. *cue 'Bad Moon Rising'*

[Which, I may note, is pretty much where the LAST BOOK also ended.]

SO. That was a lot.

Once again, the core group of characters from Book One gets broken up. Thomas the Tinker gets sidetracked pretty quickly and isn't seen again; the Dimblethum gets a few brief sequences, but doesn't do much until the end. Lightfoot and Cara are separated fairly early on and don't have much time together, though their musings about their sudden familial connections at the beginning are nice, even though Cara also keeps shipping Belle with Lightfoot. Lightfoot himself doesn't get to do much, Finder dies, and Belle is likewise sidelined by the narrative for a decent chunk of the story. Coville also keeps emphasizing that Lightfoot is a Prince, which just grates on me, too.

I would also like to see more of Cara? She has plenty of scenes, but after two books of focusing solely on her, it's so strange to suddenly be jerked in different directions and it makes me grumpy.

It's great to see Medafil again, but I found the whole delvers/underground plot to drag on too long for my tastes. I'm glad Coville brings back that one delver from the first book who let Cara go because he thinks (rightly) his king is batshit crazy.

I like Alma Leonetti's story, but it feels unrelated to the plot, so I'm not entirely sure why it's there. I think it was originally a stand-alone short story, and I think it's better suited as one, because I can't figure out what its narrative purpose is. Or is it just that Grimmwold is contractually obligated to tell at least one story per book?? Or maybe this is something that will pay off in Book 4.

Ian Hunter's story basically bores me, and I found that whole subplot extremely tedious. He's been more or less retconned to be sympathetic and a victim, and I just don't know how I feel about that.

I HAVE SUCH MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THE BIG REVEAL. On the one hand, it's a great twist to see the psychological shadow as the literal villain; on the other hand, it takes away some of the delvers' and Beloved's agency as villains in their own right because they're now Pawns of a Bigger Bad. It also just seems like such a weird thing for the unicorns to do--and maybe that's a way of making them more alien, but I don't know.

Coville explicitly uses the word 'hubris,' so it also feels weirdly victim-blaming to me because the unicorns are doing it to themselves (and this isn't just a war, but genocide we're talking about here!). For better or worse, this twist muddies the black and white/good vs. evil paradigm into shades of gray: the unicorns are beautiful and good but also arrogant assholes; Beloved is homicidal but also in terrible pain; the delvers are misunderstood and need to be embraced rather than ignored.

Alma Leonetti consistently delivers the best lines - I guess she's taken over the role Ivy Morris used to play, since Ivy is now a unicorn:

"Perhaps the unicorns need to try to recover some of what they have lost?... You face a dedicated enemy who has shown no mercy, one who will stop at nothing to destroy you. And what have you done? Gathered together, which is good. Prepared to defend yourselves, which is good, too. But is it enough? How fiercely are you willing to fight to save your lives? How strong can unicorns be? ... Maybe you need to take in some of that darkness you once released."

I remember feeling oddly disappointed on my first reading, which unfortunately persists on re-read. This story has now moved in a very different direction from the one I expected, and while that's not necessarily bad, it is unsettling and strange. As I mentioned earlier, some of that might just be that the final result doesn't match the story I made up in my head; or it could just be the inevitable result of such a long gap between books and the changes in the fantasy market post-Harry Potter. I don't know.

(I wish I had written down my thoughts about an ending--aka fanfic--because while I could write one now, it’d be reacting to canon, rather than creating it.)

Either way, major kudos to Coville for writing this book, because I had assumed the series was dead and would never be completed, and he fucking did it. That’s such an inspiration, honestly.

#book reviews #unicorn chronicles #dark whispers #childhood influences

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heyyyharry · 5 years

Text

Stardust

(from Couple in Flat 102)

…in which they say “I do!”

(I just realized they didn’t actually say I do in this, but just pretend that the chapter summary makes sense lmao)

Warning: EXTREME FLUFF and plenty of mistakes because I was too lazy to proofread.

**idea for title and Y/N's vow: @iwannaholdyoutight- **

wattpad link

“I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe I’m getting married.”

Letting out a soft laugh, Layla came to stand right behind her best friend in front of the full-length mirror. Now with her wedding dress on, Y/N looked like the prettiest princess from a story book, and the thought made Layla smile as they locked eyes in the mirror. Even if Y/N hadn’t repeatedly mentioned how nervous she was, her ragged breathing would already have given herself away.

“I thought you said you’d been ready for this day your whole life?” Layla chuckled, crossing her arms as she watched a beam grow on the bride’s face.

“Well.” Y/N sucked in a breath. “It was easier to imagine.”

Layla nodded slightly and stepped forward to wrap her arms around the maid-of-honor’s waist, chin resting on her shoulder as they exchanged nonchalant smiles.

“I’m so happy for you,” said the green-eyed girl. “Knowing that I’ve been here with you guys from the start of it all makes me so emotional.”

Her statement caused Y/N to chuckle.

“Well, you kind of hated me at the beginning.”

“Oh yeah.” Layla laughed, rolling her eyes. “Your hideous outfits got on my nerves, no offence.”

“Aunt Y/N!”

The high-pitched voice got both girls to turn to the entrance when the little girl burst into the room and rushed towards the bride, hugging her tightly.

“Eleanor!” Y/N bent down to hold the child by the arms. “Hi, my love. Look at you in your tiny dress! Oh my god, you look like a little princess!”

“Thank you, aunt Y/N. You look like a princess too!”

“El, do not disturb your aunt!”

Y/N looked up to find her sister standing at the door. As Maisie marched forward to grab the little girl, Y/N pulled Eleanor close to her chest . “It’s okay, Maisie. I’m almost done.”

“Well, you should already be done right now.”

“It’s still pretty earl—”

“Fuck!”

“Layla!” Y/N stood up fast and turned to her best friend. “Don’t say that in front of El!”

“But your skirt!”

Layla quickly grabbed Y/N by the shoulders and dragged her to the mirror so she could see the big problem for herself. Two red handprints stood out on the white fabric and could be seen from miles away let alone up close. Y/N tugged on the skirt of her dress in shock, for a second completely speechless and freaked out by the reflection in the mirror.

“Eleanor!” Maisie shouted, forcing her daughter to show both of her hands. “Oh god, were you just messing with those paint buckets in the lobby?!”

“No, no, sis, it’s fine! Don’t yell at her!”

“Fine?!” Layla cried out. “You’ve got red handprints on your ass! How the fuck is this fine?!”

“Who got what on her ass now?!”

“Jesus...” Y/N cursed under her breath when her mother burst into the room and slammed the door shut, and her facial expression was completely expected. Margaret’s eyes grew wide the moment she spotted the handprints on the back of Y/N’s dress in the mirror. From that look on the woman’s face, everyone nearly thought she might even pass out.

“Maisie! On your sister’s big day, really?!”

“I’m sorry, I —”

“Just because you didn’t get a decent wedding, doesn’t mean you can just let your daughter ruin Y/N’s big day like this!”

“No, I didn’t mean to!”

“ENOUGH!” Layla’s scream caused everyone to hold their tongues immediately to look at her. With both hands on her hips, she glared at the mother, then Maisie, and her best friend too. “Instead of shouting and blaming each other, can we focus on how to take care of the not so little problem on Y/N’s ass?”

“I don’t think we can do anything about it.” Maisie sighed.

“We can splash white paint on it!”

Everyone looked at the little girl who seemed so proud of her idea. But instead of pinching her forehead like her mother or mumbling curse words like Layla, Y/N only burst out laughing.

“Are you insane? How can you still laugh at a moment like this?” Layla narrowed her eyes at the girl who was trying her best to hold it in.

“It’s no big deal, really,” Y/N said. “I’m sure I can still walk down the aisle with red handprints on my ass.”

"Jesus Christ...” The mother muttered under her breath and hurriedly left the room before she couldn’t keep her patience anymore. Then Maisie followed as well, pulling Eleanor along so the little one couldn’t cause any more problems.

Now left alone with Y/N, Layla could finally raise her voice, “for once! I just want you to look perfect for once, Y/N!"

Y/N only giggled and hugged her friend tight. “Doesn’t matter.” She shook her head. “I already feel perfect.”

“But you loved this dress...”

“I love Harry more,” said the bride as she pulled away. “I don’t care about my look. Don’t you worry about me.”

Layla opened her mouth to argue just in time there was a knock on the door and Olivia stepped in, carrying the maid of honor gown. Without thinking twice, Layla marched towards the girl to take the dress for Y/N.

“Here, put this on. It’s gonna be a bit uncomfortable around the waist but I think you’ll manage.”

“But...What are you gonna wear?”

“You’ve seen my closet, bitch. You honestly think I don’t have a plan B to Z?” said Layla as she turned to glare at Olivia. “Blondie, come tell Niall to bring me the backless satin dress. Just say that, he’ll know which one.”

“You called me ‘blondie’?”

“And?” The maid-of-honor scoffed, lifting one eyebrow. “Would you prefer the other nickname?”

“No.” Olivia shook her head fast, a bit surprised because that was the very first time Layla had ever smiled at her. To be honest, it made her quite happy as well; and so she nodded fast and hurried out of the room to go inform the best man about the little situation.

Meanwhile, Layla turned back to her best friend and gripped her shoulders, lips pressed together hard. With a deep breath, she declared, “let’s make you perfect again.”

“Niall, what are you doing?”

“Helping!”

Harry reached up to touch the bowtie, but his best friend quickly slapped his hand away in an instant. Eyebrows furrowed, Niall tugged on the piece of fabric way too hard, making Harry tilt his head down and their foreheads bumped into each other.

“Oh my god, have you never done this before?!”

“No! Have you ever seen me wear a tie?” Niall scoffed, shaking his head, eyes fixed on the work as he mumbled, “but I swear to god it looked so easy on that youtube tutorial…”

“That’s it.” Harry huffed, raising his chin as he shouted loudly so his family waiting outside could hear him. “Gemma! Help! Mum! Anyone?”

It took Gemma less than a second to burst in as if she knew they were gonna need her at one point. She pushed Niall away and took his place, glaring at both of the men.

“Jesus Christ! You babies cannot do anything on your own!”

“Don’t call me a baby, Gem. I’m the one getting married.”

The older sister exchanged amusing glances with Niall while shaking her head in response to Harry’s slop-sided grin.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” she said. “Y/N is gonna baby you anyway.”

“Ha! You’re right. I won’t ever have to grow up.”

He giggled like a little boy when Gemma pulled away and rested both hands on her hips. As she gazed at him from head to toes, Harry opened his arms and spun around, smiling widely.

“How do I look, guys?”

“Not as good as me at my senior prom but I guess this will do,” Niall teased, causing Harry to pick up the sock on the floor and toss it at him as both dissolved into laughter. Gemma could only watch them in silence while pinching her own forehead.

All of a sudden, the door to the changing room flew open and Anne rushed in, without saying a word first, she just walked straight to her son and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Oh, my sweet baby looks so good!” She gushed, cupping his face and kissing his cheek like he was five, making Gemma toss her head back and groan.

“Mum, he’s 24 years old!”

“Oh darling, he can be fifty and he’s still my little baby.”

“I think you’re just mad because you’re not the favorite child.” Harry stuck out his tongue, making his sister scoff.

“At least, I’m the smart child?”

“Doesn’t matter who’s smarter. I get married first, I kind of win.”

“Who even made that rule?!”

“Ahhhh, the Styles and Niall all together again, a happy family,” Niall interrupted the siblings as he walked over and grabbed Gemma by the hand, pulling her in to join the other two for a group hug. They rocked back and forth for a couple seconds then Harry began to laugh and tried to wiggle out of those tight arms locked around his torso.

“You guys are gonna mess up my look. I need space,” he said, dusting off his clothes, making everyone laugh.

“Mum and I are gonna go check on the girls, okay? Please don’t burn this place down.”

Niall screwed up his face as he heard Gemma. “How are we gonna burn th—“

“You always find a way. That’s what scares me.” The woman rolled her eyes and took her mother’s hand so they could both walk out together. But as soon as she reached the door, her litte brother spoke up fast, calling out her name.

“What?” She quickly turned around, raising an eyebrow at a beaming Harry.

“How does my baby look?” He asked.

Laughing, she replied, “so beautiful that you’re gonna start sobbing at the altar.”

That was all it took for Harry to start grinning from ear to ear. His heart was pounding and he had only imagined his bride in his head. How was he gonna stand on his own two feet when he actually watched her walk down the aisle? Of course she had always been the most beautiful princess to him, but today she was gonna be his queen.

But no matter how overjoyed he was, Harry couldn’t help but feel nervous somehow. His hands were shaking and he couldn’t sit at one spot for over a minute. Now he was pacing back and forth in his dressing room, trying to remember his vow when he heard a knock on the door.

“Haz, it’s Ollie! Can I speak to Niall?”

Harry raised an eyebrow, exchanging looks with his best friend who didn’t know why Olivia wanted to speak to him. But Harry told her to come in anyway.

Shyly, the girl entered the room and explained the problem to the groom and his best man. As Harry freaked out because he was afraid Y/N might be sad about the dress, Niall, on the other hand, just fell about. He even joked, “I guess we could say little El was caught red handed!”

Harry immediately smacked him on the arm, causing the blue-eyed man to bounce a step backward, groaning in pain.

“If you think that one hurts, wait until Layla punches you for not bringing her the dress on time.”

“Jesus, you’re right.” Niall quickly grabbed his car key on the table and fled right out of the room. Less than a second later, he poked his head in and told Olivia to stay and assist Harry if he needed anything. Then he was gone in a heartbeat.

Harry and Olivia exchanged awkward smiles behind the closed door as both came to sit down on the couch in the middle of them room, each at one end to stay as far from each other as possible. With her knees together and both hands resting on them, Olivia stole a glance at the man and noticed the tiny notes he was holding.

“Are you...learning your vow?” She asked softly, releasing a slight laugh to lighten up the mood.

“Yeah. I wrote it myself,” he answered with a proud smile.

“Wow.” She chuckled. “May I see it?”

Nodding his head, Harry handed the notes to Olivia, who quickly read through them all, eyes squinted to make out a few words he’d sloppily written in a hurry.

“This is so beautiful, Haz,” she said at last.

“Yeah?” He chuckled slightly, leaning aside as the dimples dug deeper into his cheeks.

“Y/N’s gonna cry,” she said, handing the notes back to him. “I know I would.”

“Thanks.” Harry knew nothing else to say so he inhaled deeply and released a shaky breath. The silence that followed was obviously awkward yet more comfortable than talking about the thing they should talk about, like everything that had gone wrong between them over the years. However, Olivia felt like if they wanted to save their friendship, she should take the initiative to say something now that she had her chance.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted, making him freeze in confusion.

“For what?”

“For...what I did.”

“It was a couple years ago.” He chuckled, putting the note down so he could toy with the rings on his fingers to avoid looking into her eyes. “I don’t even think about it anymore.”

“But...I have been treating you like the same boy I used to know, when you’re not that boy anymore,” Olivia replied with a guilty grin. “I ruined our friendship, Haz. You used to be my second family, my real one actually...Now I’ve got none and it’s all my fault.”

“Don’t say that.” He shook his head. With a bit of hesitation, he thought for a few seconds before reaching out to hold her hand which was gripping the hem of her knee-length dress. “I still care about you. I don’t know if that’s the same way you want me to but...”

“No, it’s...it’s enough. As long as you still care about me, I'm happy.” She put her other hand ontop of his, giving it a squeeze as they held their gaze and shared a smile. It took her a moment to continue, “I’m sorry that things happened the way it did and I cannot be your best man like the promise we made years ago.”

“To be fair, when I made that promise I didn’t think I would ever get married,” he said, rolling his eyes as both of them chuckled. “But look at me now.”

“Yeah.” She sighed happily. “Look at you now...”

Without warning, Ben burst into the room, causing the two friends to rise up at the same time and turned to the breathless man standing with one hand on the doorknob.

“It’s time, boys!” He announced with so much excitement, but the grin on his face faded as he looked from side to side. “Wait, where’s Niall?”

“He came home to get Layla’s dress?” Harry said as Olivia fixed his bowtie again for him and both hurried out of the room.

“What happened to her dress?”

“Long story. Let’s go.”

Ben still lifted an eyebrow but he soon brushed his confusion aside and picked up his pace to catch up with the other two.

“Can I fill in his place?” He elated shouted, making Harry chortle.

“No,” was the answer.

Harry had a dream last night about how his wedding was going to be. He woke up with a bright smile on his face even with the lack of sleep because it was wonderful, truly beautiful. He remembered exactly how he was feeling as he stood at the altar in his dream. The room was full of pink clouds and there was only him standing there and watching his wife walk on the rose petals towards him, a bright smile on her gorgeous face. But even while dreaming, his heart was still beating like a drum and he was shaking with strong emotions.

Now, while standing at the real altar, hands held together as he took a deep breath when the music started to play, his adrenaline tripled and his heart fought to escape from his chest. Because he knew what was happening was real, not just a fantasy anymore. And just a couple seconds more, his beautiful Y/N would walk in and take his breath away.

Harry’s impatience made those seconds felt like hours. His sweaty palms got so uncomfortable that he had to wipe them on his pants when all attention was no longer on him. But no matter how long he really had to wait, that moment did arrive.

The big entrance finally opened wide, and Harry nearly held his breath. The small room with around thirty guests sank to silence. Harry mentally thanked God that they’d decided to have a small wedding because he didn’t have to be distracted by anything else to focus on his wife only.

When he locked eyes with her for the first time at their wedding, it almost felt like the whole world disappeared. Now, reality wasn’t so different from the dream he’d had, just him and her and no one else like from the start. He almost forgot the fact that she wasn’t wearing the fancy wedding dress she loved more than anything in the world, and he believed at that point she didn’t really care either. Time seemed to pause and his brain started showing all the flashbacks from their very first met up to that very moment. Harry had been holding back his tears from the second the music started playing, but now his eyes had welled up and it only took him a second to start sniffing into his palm.

The background song faded out as Y/N took his hand, facing him with tears shimmering in her eyes. He could see his mother blowing her nose in the little handkerchief she always carried around in her purse. Even Layla, whom he’d never seen shed a tear was subtly wiping away the ones running down her cheek as she tried to not let it smudge her mascara.

"Dear friends and family,” the priest began when everyone had settled and the room sank to utter silence. “We are gathered here today to witness and celebrate...”

Harry could barely listen to what the man was saying because right now he only paid attention to his bride. With a Cheshire Cat grin, he mouthed to her "you're beautiful", feeling his own heart flutter when she mouthed back "so are you" with an equally wide smile.

"Psst, Harry...Harry!" Niall slightly tugged on Harry's sleeve to grab his attention, making the couple break their loving eye contact to look at the priest who had one brow raised at the groom.

"Your vow?"

"Oh, shit." Harry quickly covered his mouth as everyone cracked up at his little accident. Blushing, he gave Anne a little wave. "Sorry, mum," he said.

"I'm your favorite child now right?" Gemma whispered to her mother, who could only laugh and urged her son to continue.

Harry held up a finger, asking for a second as he searched in his pockets for the little notes he’d written his vow on. But then he remembered he’d left them all in his dressing room and his eyes nearly popped right out of his head.

“What’s wrong?” Y/N whispered when she saw the look on his face, but her man didn’t have the heart to admit that he was too nervous he couldn’t remember any part of the speech he’d worked so hard on. The anxiety was burning him up just like that time he was waiting for her to come home to finally tell her “I love you” for the first time in person. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to hold one of her hand with both of his and bring it to his chest where his heart was. The voice inside his head told him that to say what he felt, like he was talking to her in private without any witness. The thought had calmed him down quite a bit now.

Eyes locked with hers, Harry cleared his throat and began, “Y/N...you know I’m not good with words so if my vow sucks, please don’t cancel the wedding.” Laughter filled the room, giving Harry more confidence to go on as he gripped her hand tighter and received a reassuring smile in response.

“We officially met the first time in a coffee shop on campus. From the first few words you said to me, I could tell you didn’t like me very much, and I also thought to myself ‘god help me, am I gonna have to live with this person for the rest of my college years?’”

Y/N rolled her eyes as all the guests laughed again.

“But.” Harry shushed them by raising a finger. “I ended up falling madly in love with that girl whom I used to think was the most annoying girl I’d ever met. Now, she’s the most important woman in my life, right next to my mum.”

Gemma suddenly cleared her throat so Harry had to turn and glare right at her.

“And my sister,” he added, receiving a smirk from Gemma as she waved her hand for him to continue.

“Now,” he continued, smiling widely at the girl he loved. “I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with her.”

Someone in the back said “aww” and Layla immediately shushed the woman so her friend could go on.

“Y/N.” Harry exhaled another smile. “I vow to always be patient in our marriage because you’ve always been patient with me. I know it was frustrating to love someone who had no idea what love was until he loved you. But somehow you never gave up on that boy, even though his foolishness often caused you headache and sometimes even made you cry.”

Y/N lifted the bouquet in her other hand to cover half of her face but Harry could see her eyes glistened with tears and that was all it took for him to start crying again. But he still had to finish his vow.

“I know they always said ‘til death do us part’ at weddings, but I don’t want that. If I had a thousand lifetimes, I’d want to fall in love with you again a thousand times, because you’re my soulmate. Baby, I vow to always love you, in this lifetime. And the next. And many after that. All over again. Forever and always.”

As soon as Harry finished his vow, Layla released a sob so loud that got all eyes turned to her. The maid of honor mumbled an apology and looked away so no one could see her cry. Meanwhile, Ben, who was standing right beside Niall, tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, "if I were you I would start writing my vow today." The warning caused the best man to anxiously blow up his cheeks and begin to think about what he was gonna say at his own wedding. Layla would never let him live with a vow second to his best friend's.

The priest told Y/N that it was her turn to speak her vow, and the girl exhaled sharply before wiping away her tears.

“Wow.” She breathed. “I thought it’d be easy to beat you at giving an emotional vow but I guess I’ve underestimated you.” Harry shook his head no as the others chortled at her lovely humor. “Okay, here goes...”

The room turned quiet in an instant so the bride could begin.

“I...I know I’ve said I love you so many times before and I bet you already know that. But I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned how much I adore you. Harry, you are such an amazing person, a great man who takes care of the ones he loves, who always know what to say and what to do, who’s good at almost everything,...except for when he’s with Niall.”

“It’s true,” Niall said and Harry shot him a glare, making all the guests roar with laughter.

“And you’ve always been there for me, always loved me, and reminded me that I can be amazing and beautiful and great as anyone else.”

“You are, love,” he mumbled to her and all the others sighed and aww’ed at the same time.

“So I think I must be the luckiest girl on the planet to be standing here with you today.” She sniffed, quickly wiping off the tears at the corners of her eyes before her makeup was ruined. The hand that was holding his had never let go. “Forever after, I vow to always be by your side through it all, to never give up on us and support you no matter what, just like what you’ve been doing for us since day one. I vow to love you with all my heart and always be patient with you, always be true to you, always be loyal.” Then she laughed softly. “I know this may sound silly, but I love to think that we’re made from the same stardust, and when we die we’ll go back to being the same star, because I cannot imagine being with anyone else other than you. I will love you always, from one lifetime to the next. You’re my first love. And I cannot wait to make you my forever. "

“That’s my best friend,” Layla said to the lady at the front row who was sobbing just as hard as she was.

“Rings, Niall!” Harry turned to the best man who was too busy clapping his hands just like everyone else to remember his duty. Hurriedly, Niall pulled out the rings from his jacket, sighing in relief that he didn’t drop them and happily handing the couple their rings so they could put them on for each other.

"And now, by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may now—” Without waiting for him to finish, Harry grabbed Y/N and kissed her hard on the mouth. All the guests rose from their seats to clap their hands and cheered for the newly weds.

"Family and Friends, I present to you for the first time Mr and Mrs. Styles.”

The wedding reception was meant to be a warm dinner between family and friends, but thanks to Niall's brilliant MC skills, everyone ended up moving all the tables and chairs to the sides so they could get up and dance. Y/N had long forgotten where she'd left her heels, now was dancing on bare feet with Layla the the girls in the middle of the room, meanwhile Harry was held back by the men as they kept offering him drinks knowing he could never say no. The parents could only sit on the sidelines and carry on with their conversations about the couple’s future as if they were the ones to decide how it was gonna be.

In a room full of bliss, Olivia had never felt more alone. So instead of standing in the corner the entire time, she quietly snuck out to the main hall for some fresh air while waiting for the celebration to be over. But as soon as she walked through the door, the girl stopped dead in her tracks when seeing the couple in the main lobby.

In the heat of the fight, Jack and his date didn't pay attention to her. Olivia knew it wasn’t right to watch, still she was too curious to walk away. Of course she didn’t know who the woman was and why she was shouting at Jack. But the guy seemed miserable over there, almost making her step forward to interfere. However, she didn’t have to be his hero. Olivia heard Jack say something like a goodbye and an apology. And the woman, now with tears in her eyes, stormed straight to the main exit, leaving him behind with a massive frown upon his face.

Olivia was now torn between walking over there to ask if he was alright, and walking away before he spotted her and thought she was being nosy (which wasn’t exactly false). So she stood still, fidgeting for a few seconds when all of a sudden he turned his head, looking at her straight in the eyes. The girl freaked out and attempted to run, but she bumped into a table by accident and got the hem of her skirt stuck in it.

Jack tried not to laugh as he marched towards the damsel in distress and bent down to get her skirt out of the edge of the table, trying to be careful so he wouldn’t damage the fabric.

“Fuck,” she cursed, but soon noticed his reaction and mumbled a quick apology, making him chuckle.

“You love ruining your own dresses, huh?” He teased, leaving a huge grin on the girl’s face.

“Uhm...I didn’t see you at the ceremony.”

“Yeah...I skipped it on purpose.”

“Because of your girlfriend?”

Her questioned made Jack raise an eyebrow. “I...I don’t know if she was really your girlfriend. I only guessed.”

“She was.” He sighed, lifting his shoulders. “Not anymore. I think you just witnessed our break up.”

“Sorry...”

“It’s okay, Livy.”

Olivia’s face brightened up at the nickname. “Oh you remember my name.”

“Your name is not really hard to remember.”

Jack’s comment was followed up by a fit of laughter which instantly died down as soon as they made eye contact and turned away from each other.

“Why are you out here?” He asked the girl as the silence had become quite awkward.

“Believe it or not,” she said with a sigh. “I don’t have many friends here.”

“It’s a wedding, Livy, not high school.” Jack chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Come in, I’ll be your friend for the night. Then we’ll dance our sorrow away.”

Olivia didn’t know if this man was joking about being sad or he was just very good at hiding his feelings, but maybe a made-believe happiness would work for her right now.

“Just a warning, I’m a terrible dancer,” she told him, laughing slightly.

With a smile, he said, “great, so am I.”

“Jack!”

Y/N waved enthusiastically when she saw her boss, who put on a smile and opened his arms so she could go in for a hug.

That was actually the first proper embrace they’d ever shared, and there was something heart-warming about it, probably because it was different from the time she hugged him as he’d just lost his mother, or the time he held her in the lift as she had a panic attack. It was just a simple hug, which was why it was so special.

“Why weren’t you at the ceremony?!” Her face puckered up as she pulled away, holding his hands. “You missed the best part!”

“Sorry, I was busy.” He smiled, yet she didn’t seem too pleased with his answer.

“You’re always busy.”

The eye-roll she gave him only expanded his grin.

The other day in the lift when they were alone, he almost got weak and told her he loved her. But now, seeing her this happy and full of life, he was glad he hadn’t got a chance to say it. Some things were best kept to yourself.

Jack changed his mind about attending the wedding ceremony at the last minute because he couldn’t imagine how he was going to witness the girl he loved say “I do” and become someone else’s forever. That was why he got into a fight with Maria on the way to the wedding reception. Maria had asked him to tell her the truth, and he did, so she got mad and left. Despite so, he couldn’t think of a better way they could’ve ended the relationship which had been a fail from the start.

Even though he’d never actually thought about coming between Y/N and Harry, it didn’t change the fact that he loved her. He was happy for her, yet he would’ve been so broken had he actually listened to her vow. However, the sad truth about life was how you never got to choose whom you were gonna fall in love with, so if love came, you had to accept love, even if it didn’t come to stay.

Jack now had to accept the fact that he’d fallen in love with someone who was untouchable, and his relationship with Maria had been a mistake. She was just looking for someone to possess, not to love; and he was just looking for someone to help him forget about Y/N. As it turned out, the only way for him to move on was to do let his heart heal on its own and not try to fill the void with something else other than love.

“Wait, where’s the other dress?” Jack asked after pulling away and by the way Y/N kept on giggling, he assumed she was a bit tipsy.

“My niece left two red handprints on my ass.” She laughed, raising her hands to demonstrate the action, cracking him up.

“Well, you still look good in this one.”

“Yeah?” She gave him a smile and twirled around so he could see the motion of the dress. “But honestly I cannot eat because if I do, the zipper might burst. My best friend is super-model skinny.”

Jack didn’t say anything but the smile on his face never faded as he watched her beam grow. Everyone in the room clapped their hands when the upbeat song ended, then all gathered to the middle of the room as Niall announced a slow song for the couples was next.

Y/N looked behind her boss with a confused look as she asked, “where’s Maria?”

“Oh, she couldn’t make it,” he lied, curving his lips into a smile before pointing at Olivia standing by the wall. “But I got myself a new dance partner, don’t worry about me.”

“Oh, good.” Y/N giggled, giving the blonde across the room a little wave as she turned back to Jack. “Also, I’m very happy that you showed up.”

“So am I.” He nodded, holding both of her shoulders firmly. “Congrats, Mrs. Styles.”

“Thank you,” she replied, giving him one last smile as she watched him return to Olivia. Maybe love didn’t have to be a romantic bond between two people. Sometimes, it took form as a bond between two friends, who wanted nothing more than happiness for the other.

You can hear it in the silence, silence You can feel it on the way home, way home

“Wifey!”

Y/N turned around just in time Harry crashed into her arms, squeezing all the air out of his wife with that bear hug. She could guess how much he’d drunk because he couldn’t stop giggling like a little boy, and his happiness was so contagious that she couldn’t help but laugh along. She pulled away a bit to hold his face with both hands. His arms tightened around her waist, keeping her pressed against him so he could whisper into her ear, “dance with me.”

You can see it with the lights out, lights out You are in love, true love

“You finally escaped from the boys, I see.” Her arms came wrapped around his neck to start guiding them to the beat of the song.

“They literally tried to drown me in vodka even after I’d told them I needed to stay sober for you,” he said in annoyance, making her giggle. “If I disappoint you tonight, it’s because I wasted most of my energy on fighting them.”

Morning, his place Burnt toast, Sunday You keep his shirt He keeps his word

“You’ve never disappointed me though.”

“Aww that’s the first lie you’ve told me as my wife.”

She smacked him on the arm as both broke into a fit of laughter.

And for once you let go Of your fears and your ghosts One step, not much But it said enough

Harry looked around the room and spotted in the far corner Y/N’s two friends from high school John and Violet slow dancing together. John held his pregnant wife like she was the most delicate thing in the world and the sight made Harry’s heart flutter.

“Can’t wait to put a baby inside of you,” he blurted, causing Y/N to guffaw.

“Oh my god, are you gonna replace the word ‘sex’ with ‘putting a baby inside of you’ from now on?”

“No.” He bit back a smile and pinched her side playfully. “I mean, I want to have a baby with you. A little us.”

You kiss on sidewalks You fight and you talk One night he wakes Strange look on his face

“You’ve been desperate for a baby since you found Treasure though.” She rolled her eyes and joked, “I’m starting to think you married me just to get a human baby.”

“Been wanting to marry you since your brother’s wedding actually.”

Pauses, then says "You're my best friend" And you knew what it was He is in love

His confession caused her to pull away a bit so they could lock eyes with one another. She stroked his cheeks tenderly and traced her fingertips across his pink lips. Smiling, she said, “now that you mention, our first dance was at my brother’s wedding.”

“Yeah, and now we’re dancing at our own. Isn’t that great?”

So it goes You two are dancing in a snow globe, round and round And he keeps a picture of you in his office downtown And you understand now why they lost their minds And fought the wars And why I've spent my whole life trying to put it into words

“Did you like my vow?” He asked with a smug look on his face because he already knew the answer, but wanting to hear it from her still.

“Wasn’t it already obvious?” She snorted. “I weeped like a baby in front of you and everyone.”

“The only time I was happy that I made you cry.” Harry sighed, stroking her sides gently. “Hey, baby, I just came up with something I should’ve added to my vow.”

Despite already knowing he was going to say something silly, she still nodded and told him to go on. Then with a funny high-pitched voice, he drunkenly sang, “you’re so sexy, you’re so fine. I’m gonna make you mah wife.”

Y/N tossed her head back as she laughed and cupped his face between her palms. “I’m glad you didn’t put that in your vow. I would’ve returned the ring and walked out immediately.”

“You’re regretting this whole thing aren’t you?” He kissed her cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Y/N flashed a smile and nodded her head quickly to play along with the joke.

“Instead of going back home after this, let’s go get divorced,” she playfully suggested. The pretentious hurt look on his face got her dying on laughter.

“Okay, but hold on, let me hold my wife a bit longer before she leaves me,” said Harry as he kissed her forehead and pulled her in again, mouth at her ear when he whispered, “love you to the moon and back.”

With butterflies going wild in her stomach, she also told him, “I love you too, forever and always, darling.”

You can hear it in the silence, silence You can feel it on the way home, way home You can see it with the lights out, lights out You are in love, true love You are in love

#harry styles #harry styles writing #harry styles series #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfics #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfictions #harry styles fluff #flatmate!harry

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katahnisharma · 6 years

Text

It’s Official

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Word Count: 3K (not sure if I should do more parts but if you think I should just send me an ask!)

Warnings: None just frustrated reader and slight make out session?

Summary: What happens when a fake date makes you wish it were real?

A/N: Just a one shot requested by @peachfuzz2221 for prompt 23. “Just pretend to be my date” with a slight alteration, hope you like it!

masterlist || add yourself to my taglist!

You impatiently stirred your coffee, glancing around the cafe as you tapped your foot on the hardwood floor. Tom had called you here, your usual meetup, on some sort of emergency and he wasn’t even here. Who’s late to their own emergency? Frustrated, you were just about to get back to your book when you heard your name.

“Y/N!”

Looking up, you scanned the floor until your eyes fell on a very sweaty and panting Tom, dressed in what appeared to be a button down shirt and a new pair of jeans. Of course the shirt was unbuttoned slightly at the top and he was wearing a pair of hideous sneakers, but it was definitely a change. You narrowed your eyes as he moved through the line at the counter to get to your table, giving you a sheepish grin. He pulled out the chair across from you and was about to sit down when you swung your leg onto it.

“Now just a minute, you called me here remember? You said it was some sort of emergency and could I be here in less than 5 minutes, and so I came because that’s what friends do. But dude, what the hell? You’re forty five minutes late!” you whisper-shouted. Tom sighed and gingerly moved your leg from the chair as he took a seat.

“I’m so sorry Y/N, I really am! I swear it’s an actual emergency. I almost broke five laws trying to get here on time!” Tom cried, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. You huffed.

“Alright, fine. But at least tell me what the emergency is, I had to cancel a date for this.” you said, shutting your book and giving Tom your full attention. Tom looked shell shocked.

“What date, you didn’t tell me you had a date!” he asked, his voice rising in pitch slightly. He looked slightly… jealous?

Okay that’s ridiculous, we’re just friends. Friends Y/N. There’s nothing else here.

“Yeah, it was last minute. Just a guy from work, it’s very casual so it’s probably going to amount to nothing really.” you shrugged, twirling your coffee stirrer in your cup. Tom frowned, fiddling with his fingers.

“Sure, but I’d still liked to have known.” he mumbled, his lips turning downward into a sight pout. You quirked your eyebrows curiously.

“Why? I mean it’s not like you tell me all the girls you go out with Tommy.” Tom’s eyes widened and you could see him mentally backtracking.

“Well, it would have been nice to know. You know, since we’re friends I guess. Not that you have to tell me everything-definitely not everything you know? I mean don’t tell me what you do with dates after because-oh my god I’m going to stop talking now.” Tom babbled, his head hitting the table in embarrassment. Your jaw dropped.

“Ew, Tom! God not on the first date, do you even know me at all?” you laughed, punching him lightly in the arm. Tom looked up and smirked.

“Yeah, you’re not the type. Too much of a good girl I’d say.” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows at you. You scoffed and leant back in your seat, rolling your eyes as you chuckled.

“Uh-huh, sure. So what’s the deal, don’t think I’ve forgotten about your ‘emergency’.” you asked. Tom looked at you nervously.

“Okay, first just hear me out! I know this is crazy but you’re the only person I can think of who would do this for me.” Now you were scared.

“This sounds bad, you better just tell me before I really freak out.” Your hand went to your mouth, biting your knuckles slightly. Tom swallowed loudly.

“Ineedyoutopretendtobemygirlfriend.” He blurted out. You almost choked on your own breath.

“I’m sorry, what now?” Tom hesitated a minute, studying the wtf look etched across your face.

“Yeah, uh, it’s Harry. He started joking that since I don’t have a real girlfriend, he could set me up with someone. And, for obvious reasons, I don’t want him to play matchmaker for me, so I need to prove to him and my family that I can stay with a girl for longer than a couple hours. So maybe, just pretend to be my date?” Tom sighed, running a hand through his hair. Okay hold up, did he just say…

“Wait, why did you say family? Would I have to…” Tom nodded slowly.

“Yeah, I’m going to my parents’ tonight for dinner and I was going to bring you along. Only if you agreed of course, I mean I know it’s weird and totally last minute” You managed a small concession of a smile, even though internally you were freaking out. Oh my god, what if I accidentally say something that complicates everything? And you knew exactly what that something was.

“Wow, I definitely didn’t think the first time meeting your family would be like this. I mean, as your pretend girlfriend.” Tom couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“So, does that mean you’ll do it? Because I’d be forever in your debt, Y/N, honestly!” he pleaded, giving you his sad puppy eyes and clasping his hands together. You smirked and rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll do it. But I’m holding you to that whole debt thing!” you giggled, finally taking another sip of your coffee, while Tom grinned like a maniac.

And that’s what lead you here, on what should have been a typical Friday night of binge-watching TV slash eating insane amounts of ice cream. Or in the case of today, what should have been the first date you’d been on in a very long time.

Well, it’s a date of sorts, you thought, as you smoothed down your hair for the millionth time.

Even if it’s fake.

Whatever, you were determined to have a good time tonight. You looked pretty good, you had to admit. The dress you were wearing was your favorite. It reached just above your knees and was the perfect shade of dark red, the color you looked best in. The waist was cinched, with a asymmetrical hemline that showed off your lower legs and a beautiful off the shoulder neckline. You had done your hair so that it fell loosely in soft waves down your back, and kept the makeup minimal with just some lip gloss.

Maybe this is a bit overdone, this is the first time I’m meeting his family. I don’t want to look ridiculous.

On the other hand, everything else was at the dry cleaners and you probably shouldn’t turn up in a sweatshirt.

You were just debating on whether or not you should make a mad desperate dash to the cleaners for a more casual outfit when the doorbell rang from the other room.

Crap, it’s Tom.

Swallowing loudly, you slowly walked toward the front door.

Here goes.

Opening the door hesitantly, you were met by Tom with a bouquet of flowers. And he looked perfect.

He was wearing one of his numerous black t-shirts and a pair of ripped jeans, but somehow Tom made it look like he was made to wear it. His hair was delightfully curly, and it stuck out slightly like he had just woken up.

Not fair. At all. How does a person do that without even trying?

“Hey, sorry I’m a little early I know but I wanted to give you these and-” Tom started, handing you the flowers with a smile, but he froze when he noticed what you were wearing.

“Oh, Tom these are so nice.” you blushed, as his eyes practically drank you in. He had never seen you look so beautiful. He didn’t even think it was possible for you to look more beautiful. Unconsciously, Tom bit his lip to keep him from grinning like a madman.

“Wow, um, you look so beautiful. Perfect actually… I think. Have-have you worn this dress before?” he stammered, stepping inside as you let him through. You smiled to yourself.

“Yeah, it’s my favorite, but I probably haven’t worn it around you before. We usually don’t do this sort of thing, you know?” you replied, coming to a standstill right in front of Tom. The two of you were now face-to-face, you a blushing mess and he trying really hard not to just come out and say something he’d wished for a while now. That this wasn’t a fake date.

“Well, you should wear it more often, around me. Hope you canceled that date.” he smirked, taking your hand and kissing it. Your face turned bright red and you grinned.

“Yeah, yeah okay lover boy, let’s go.” you joked. Tom chuckled as the two of you joined hands and headed to the car.

The ride to the Hollands’ house was incredibly fun. Tom turned on the radio and the two of you went crazy singing all the songs that came on. Occasionally, Tom would do impressions or sing in a ridiculous voice, which caused the two of you to burst out laughing until you felt like your sides were splitting. It very nearly felt like nothing had changed. But you both knew something did. The way you two looked at each other during the drive was proof enough. Tom kept staring at you with so much love in his eyes that you felt like kissing him right there and then. But you needed to calm down, this was fake remember?

“Do you think they’ll know?” you asked, as you bit your finger nervously. Tom chuckled and took your hand in his as you both waited for someone to answer the door.

“I don’t think so, we look pretty convincing.” he said, giving you a smirk. You blushed a deep scarlet as you tried to bite back a smile.

“Stop, this is serious! It would be sooo awkward if they picked up on it, I’d never be able to come back here!” you hissed. Finally the door swung open and you were face-to-face with Harry, Tom’s younger brother. He looked at the two of you and smiled.

“So… this is Y/N, the one you talk so much about, Tom? I honestly thought you were lying when you said you had an actual girlfriend, but okay. You were right.” he teased, punching Tom lightly in the arm. Tom’s eyes widened.

“Yeah-uh… I mean I talk about you sometimes. Not a lot though! Just a normal amount, you know?” Tom stuttered, glaring at Harry. You quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh-yeah. No problem?” you offered, confused at your own words. What were you saying? He’s just nervous, calm down!

“Ha, yeah um let’s go inside, shall we?” Tom raced, squeezing your hand lightly as you moved past Harry and into the living room. There in the middle, all sitting down, were the famous Holland family. You gulped as you could feel the nerves rising. Oh. My. God.

“Hey everyone, this is Y/N.” Tom said, smiling broadly as he put an arm around your waist. The physical contact made you feel warm and you unconsciously moved closer to him, which he responded to by gripping your waist tighter and drawing small circles on your back.

“Hi!” you said, giving them all your best non-forced-because-i’m-freaking-out smile. It must have worked because Nikki immediately stood up and rushed over to give you a hug.

“Y/N it’s so nice to meet you! We’ve all heard such lovely things about you! We were so happy when Tom finally said he had asked you out.” she beamed, holding you at arms length to get a good look at you. Tom looked at the two of you and grinned, ecstatic.

“Thanks for exposing me Mom” he laughed, as he guided you to sit down next to him. Dom waved at you from across the room

“It’s lovely to meet you Y/N! Why don’t we all eat now, though, I’m really hungry.”

______________________________________________________________________

“So, Y/N? How did you and Tom meet again? No offense, but you both seem pretty different.” Sam asked, as Harry nodded emphatically. Everyone had made it to the dinner table, and were obviously curious about the new girl Tom had actually wanted to stay with. You smiled, Tom looking at you with a smirk.

“You’re definitely right about that. I met Tom at this coffee shop I always go to. He was a little tipsy and asked if the seat across from me was taken. And then he asked me what I was reading and we started talking, it’s a little cliche I know.”

“You were tipsy in a coffee shop?” Dom asked mockingly. Tom groaned and put his head in his hands.

“Well, I’m never going to hear the end of this.” he replied, nudging you. You shrugged.

“Hey, totally not my fault! You shouldn’t have been drinking so early!” You laughed, the two of you locking eyes and smiling for a minute before breaking and coming back to reality. The Hollands looked at each other knowingly.

“Hmm well I wish he wouldn’t party so much, but if it led to him meeting you dear, I can only say it was worth it.” Nikki said, reaching across the table to take your hand. Your jaw dropped slightly before you quickly recovered and smiled slightly.

“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” You whispered, your eyes welling up. God you hated lying like this, Nikki really believed you both.

“Well, I for one think Mom’s right. Too bad Paddy missed out, I knew he shouldn’t have gone camping today.” Harry said. Dom looked up and caught your eye.

“Oh Y/N I meant to ask, what are you studying in university? Tom tells us you’re at the University of London. That’s incredible!” You gave Tom a look of surprise. He told them where I’m going to school? Why? Tom anticipated your thoughts.

“I told them because I’m so damn proud of you babe. It’s an amazing school and I’m an insanely proud boyfriend.” He said, and this time there was no big grin. It was a soft smile, so rare and full of emotion that you were shocked. You’d never seen Tom smile that way before at anyone. For a moment it felt real.

Dom cleared his throat softly and the two of you broke eye contact for the second time, both of you smiling awkwardly.

“Sorry Mr. Holland, I meant to say that I’m studying to become a journalist. A war correspondent actually, like Christiane Amanpour? She’s one of my idols.” You responded, as the twins gave you impressed looks. Dom and Nikki looked at each other with the same expression.

“That’s incredible, I’m very impressed. There aren’t a lot of women who want to be war correspondents so it makes me happy to hear that!” Dom said with Tom nodding beside you.

“It is, but Y/N’s always been that way. She’s a force and she can do anything she sets herself to.” Tom said. You laughed.

“Hardly, I still can’t do a cartwheel!” You replied, and everyone burst out laughing.

After dinner, Tom excused the two of you since it was now pretty late. The Hollands gathered at the front door to say goodbye, with Nikki leading the pack. Just as you had said goodbye to everyone else, Nikki came over to stand in front of you. Tom looked at you, neither of you knowing what was going on. Suddenly, she moved forward and gave you a massive hug. It took you a second, but you finally responded and hugged her back, feeling like you could die right there. Before she let go, she whispered softly into your ear.

“Now, if my son doesn’t officially ask you to be his girlfriend in the next two days, you call me okay? He’d be mad not to and I’d be terribly angry if he didn’t” you gasped softly, but Nikki had pulled away and gave you a small wink. She knew…

“Oh, yes Mrs. Holland thank you so much for having me, I had a lovely time.” You managed, giving her a slight smile which she returned in full. Tom looked back and forth between you two.

“Uh-okay then, we’ll be heading out I guess. Bye Mom, Dad.” He said, giving his parents a hug. The twins smirked at him.

“See you two divs later, yeah?” he smirked back, hugging them as well. You smiled at the sight and smiled even more when Tom gave you his hand and the two of you walked to the car, with the Hollands waving from the door. When the two of you were inside the car, Tom and you sighed quietly.

“Look Tom, today was amazing and I loved meeting your family but I can’t do this. This lying just makes me so uncomfortable, and when Nikki said that stuff at dinner I felt so guilty.” you exhaled. Tom swiveled to look at you.

“Yeah, I know. Which is why there’s something I need to say right now before I chicken out.” he whispered, cupping your face lightly and brushing a loose strand of hair behind your ear. You looked at him, trying to read his expression. What’s going on?

“Tommy?” You whispered back. He smiled at you adoringly.

“I love you Y/N, if you haven’t already noticed because I can’t really keep it to myself very well, so would you want to maybe be my girlfriend? For real this time?” he asked, biting his lip anxiously, nervous for the first time in his life about a girl he didn’t think he’d be able to live without. You felt your heart flutter. You tried to open your mouth to speak but there were no words that could describe how happy you felt in that moment. Tom slowly took his hands away from your face, now aware that you must be rejecting him.

“Sorry, that was weird. Forget it, I’d rather have you in my life than lose you. Is it okay if we just forget this ever happened?” he asked, fumbling around distractedly for his keys. No, it’s not okay, say something Y/N!

“I-Tom-I..” you started and Tom turned to look at you once more, waiting for the words to fall. Screw it.

Before you could rethink it, you leant forward, grabbed his shirt and kissed him hard. Tom was so surprised he froze for a minute, but when he realized what was happening he couldn’t react fast enough. His hands snaked their way down to your waist, pulling you into his lap while he deepened the kiss even further. You moaned quietly as your fingers went to clutch his curls gently, running them through his hair desperately. Tom let out a moan of his own and brought you even closer, before the two of you finally ran out of breath and broke away reluctantly, gasping for air.

“So that’s a yes then?” he chuckled, kissing your neck softly. You brought his hand up to your mouth and laughed.

“Yeah, I’d say so, wouldn’t you?” You asked. Tom looked up at you and smirked.

“You would? Hmm I’d say that was you finally succumbing to my charms.” he whispered into your ear. You gasped.

“Shut up, Tommy, I wasn’t always in love with you! I definitely wasn’t when you came in drunk at the coffee shop.” You giggled, smacking his arm lightly as you rolled of his lap back into your seat. Tom rolled his eyes jokingly.

“Yeah yeah, I guess I wasn’t too attractive that day. You know, I can’t wait to tell them that this is official now.” he grinned, putting the car in reverse with one hand while the other held yours. You smiled and shook your head.

“Um, about that. I think your mom’s not going to be too shocked that this was fake.

“What, why?” You cocked your head slightly.

“Oh, just because. Let’s just say I have a feeling” you replied internally smiling to yourself, as Tom swung your hand up and down.

“You’re a weirdo, but you’re my weirdo. Want to go hit the coffee shop? We can have a cliche You’ve Got Mail kind of first date.” he laughed. You grinned happily.

“Um, yes!” You yelled as you and Tom sped down the road, smiling like lunatics but finally official.

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much-the-millers-kid · 6 years

Text

Sanders Sides!Descendants AUs

So, the way I see it, there are two ways to do a Disney Descendants AU:

1. Have the characters take on the roles of the main characters

2. Have the characters be themselves, but with Disney Villain Parents

And guess what? I have thoughts on both of them.

First: the “let’s put the sides in the same roles as the movies.” Remember, these are my thoughts, and any other ideas are valid.

Virgil - Mal (trying to prove themselves but always falling a bit short? Yeah, this is the only one that I don’t think you could persuade me differently)

Roman - Evie (I’m going based on the theories that came out after Deceit’s reveal where someone was a former dark side, and Roman going from Pride to Creativity would very nicely mirror Evie’s transition from “have to be fairest of them all” to “I’m going to make the fairest outfits for everyone”)

Logan - Carlos (in the first book, Carlos is a freaking scientific genius; he uses science so well people think it’s magic, and that is very Logan. Plus, former dark side theory, Logan went from Apathy to Logic)

Patton - Ben (What? Only 3/4 being Villain Kids? It’s more likely than you think. Honestly, I don’t remember there ever being a dark side theory for Patton, and he would be the one to see good in everyone, especially Virgil)

Now here’s where I see it going different ways: Option 1: Deceit as Maleficent (impossible dark standards for Virgil) and Remy as Uma (honestly just wants some respect); Option 2: same as option 1, but Remy as Jay (Remy’s smooth and a heartthrob, knows it, and flaunts it; plus Jay is a main character and I can’t think of anyone else); Option 3: we ignore Maleficent and have Deceit as Uma (once again wants respect, and would be willing to lie and manipulate to get what he wants) and Remy as Harry Hook (another smooth character; I don’t know, I want both Harry and Remy to be included somewhere)

And now, the “Who would be their villain parents?” Two quick notes: 1) Since Thomas is past high school (and to make some things work plot wise); whereas the main VK’s were born 4 years after their parents being on the isle, the sides were born before (but not too soon before) everyone was sent to the isle; and 2) I didn’t mean to have all the sides having more sympathetic “We’re Not So Bad” stories; it just kinda happened, and you know what? The movies are about the kids proving to be more than their parents; it works.

Patton as the son of Anastasia and the Baker (yes, I actually kinda like the Cinderella sequels, and Anastasia and the Baker were a super cute couple IMO. I can see Patton being stuck in the middle, where when everyone was being sent to the isle, Anastasia tried to give him to the Baker so Patton could stay in Auradon, but couldn’t. Teased for his half-good heritage his whole life. He tries to stay positive, behaving more like his step-aunt than his mother, and even tries to be good when his mother gets roped back in with her sister and mother.)

Virgil as the son of Hades and Persephone (going with Thomas’s answer for Disney Parents in general, but adding to it. Everyone knew Hades had a son, but as he had no serious romantic interests, everyone thought he used some god-like ability to just create a son. It wasn’t until Virgil was able to make plants grow and bring something close to Spring to the isle that people began to wonder [before you say there’s no magic on the isle, I say god capabilities is a bit stronger and different than magic] eventually who his mother is is revealed, but Virgil is on the isle and the damage is done)

Logan as the “son” of Claude Frollo (”son” in quotations because Logan was going to be Frollo’s new Quasimodo; Logan was sent to the isle as the child of some nameless henchman, and Frollo saw giving the child an educated upbringing in the name of the Lord as a chance to get back in Auradon’s favor. And so, Logan grew up with a love of reading and learning, but aggravated Frollo when he would ask questions about the reading that questioned religion. The breaking point was, “If it says in John 3:16 that God loved All the world, why do you feel the need to scorn people in God’s world?” After that, Frollo gave Logan a roof over his head and nothing else, and after Logan was revealed to be a homosexual, even the roof over his head was taken away.)

Roman as the son of Gaston (Gaston already has 4 sons in canon, but he said he wanted 6 or 7 boys, so I could see Roman being the first. Gaston sees himself as a good guy who saved a fair maiden from a hideous beast, so he would try to raise at least the first son to be a handsome, charming man every girl would want. Roman doesn’t have Gaston’s deep-rooted sexism, growing up around female villains like Maleficent and Ursula who prove that girls are just as smart and powerful as boys, but Gaston can live with that as long as some girl becomes Roman’s wife. Then, Roman comes home one day with the same star-struck look that Gaston recognized from the day he first saw Belle. He pesters his son for details, and it seems Roman has found Belle 2.0: affinity for blue, a major bookworm, and chocolate brown hair. Roman even says his love’s name is Logan, but as Logan is a gender-neutral name and Gaston is too self-absorbed to know the inhabitants of the isle, Gaston encourages Roman to pursue his love. It isn’t until Gaston sees his son using his charms on a young lad that he has a problem. In a furious rage, Gaston drags his son home and berates him, being harsher than ever when Roman says he has never felt that way toward a woman. And so, Roman was cast onto the streets.)

With their spouses having made them softer, Anastasia and Hades are more welcoming to Roman and Logan when their parents disown them. They keep mostly to themselves on the edge of the isle, being too good to be accepted by the others.

There’s really only two who come around.

One is a young lad who, while he takes the form of a human, is the son of the snake, Kaa. He manipulates others to get what he wants, and has a voice so hypnotic that most believe any lie he tells. Yet no one knows his name, so he’s just known as Deceit.

The other a kid named Remy whose parents no one had ever heard of. He’s learned to not care what others think; it’s the only way to survive. Rumors about him are everything from his parents betrayed their cause to save their heroic foe, to he was actually only adopted by a villain because he reminded the villain of a boy that convinced him to just be a thief rather than a murderer.

#sanders sides #descendants #disney descendants #cinderella #hercules #the hunchback of notre dame #beauty and the beast #anastasia #hades #claude frollo #gaston #my post #original post

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xx-thedarklord-xx · 7 years

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Do you think you could do a superhero Drarry? Maybe Hogwarts is the city?

“I just don’t get it!” Draco snarled, throwing the Daily Prophet into the fireplace. Despite the roaring fire, the title was still legible as it slowly burned away. ‘The Chosen One saves Hogwarts, Again.’

“Why does anyone care if the bloody Chosen One saves old ladies from muggers? Who cares if he stops robbers from stealing? What does stopping crime even matter?”

Pansy arched her brow as she hung upside down on the couch, shaking her head at both Draco and the blood rushing to her head.

“The public loves him.” She pointed out, knowing that this conversation would drag on no matter what she said.

“Which annoys me to no end!” Draco threw up his hands in the air. “His outfit is hideous; his hair is a fucking mess and his sidekick is a moron.”

The statement was true. Pansy had to give him that.

“Why am I never in the papers? I work hard. Daily. They treat me like a villain and I hate it.”

Pansy had to cough to hide the snort that was threatening to come out. “Draco dear, you are a villain. You fight against the Chosen One.”

“So?” Draco turned to Pansy with his hands on his waist. “I believe that deserves some recognition. You think it’s easy to be bad and look this good, at the same time?” He ignored the heavy sigh Pansy released.

“Why are the headlines never about The Better One? It can’t be, ‘The Better One strikes again!’ No, it’s always, ‘The Chosen One saves Hogwarts’.”

Pansy rolled her eyes as she righted herself. “No one calls you that.” She pointed out with a smirk when he glared. “You will always be known as the Slytherin.”

“I like The Better One, better.”

“I know you do.” She didn’t even bother hiding her patronizing tone. “But no one ever listens to what the villains want.”

“Prejudice at its finest.”

---------------

“Slow night tonight,” Harry said, scanning the horizon, waiting for some kind of signal or cry of help.

“Good, maybe that means I will actually get some sleep tonight,” Ron grumbled, folding his hands behind his head. “Hopefully the Slytherin stays home.” There was a pause as he tilted his head. “Or gets caught by the police. Either would make my night.”

“Oh, I’m so hurt Weaselbee.” The drawling tone had both Harry and Ron straightening up but for two completely different reasons. “And here I thought I was your favorite person.”

“Don’t mistake me for Harry,” Ron retorted, relaxing back against the wall.

“What are you doing here?” Harry asked pulling Draco towards him. “Shouldn’t you be out destroying the city?”

“I’m not sure I like the lack of conviction in your tone. It’s as if you don’t believe I can actually destroy the city.”

They both ignored the loud snort Ron released.

Harry couldn’t stop the fond smile from forming. Draco as his counterpart was honestly adorable. Draco wasn’t as evil as he tried to be.

“I believe in you,” Harry promised. “If you think you can destroy Hogwarts, then I believe you.”

Draco sniffed dramatically and turned his head to the side, snubbing the both of them. “That’s what I thought.” He sighed, before turning back to his lover. “I only stopped by to tell you that I will be home late tonight.”

Ron groaned a little angrily. “That means that we will be late too, because we will have to clean up after whatever disaster you come up with tonight!”

“Nothing is as disastrous as your costume.” Draco retorted, ignoring Weasley in favor of kissing Harry’s cheek.

“How many times do I have to tell you that it isn’t a costume?” demanded Ron.

“It’s a bloody onesie,” Draco shuddered at the thought. “You look utterly ridiculous.” Which was the truth. The onesie was all red but not in a way that complimented Weasley’s hair.

“And you don’t?” Ron wondered incredulously. “You are wearing tights!”

Draco shrugged as he looked down at his own outfit. Green tight-fitting shirt tucked into his belt of many gadgets that wrapped snugly around his waist. His cape and tights were black with silver crests of snakes littered strategically.

“They make my arse look good.”

“He’s right,” Harry pointed out, running his hands down Draco’s back to cup said nice arse.

“Mm.” Draco purred. “I think you are trying to seduce me into behaving.”

“Is it working?” Ron asked, sitting up. “Because I could really use a night off.”

Draco chuckled before taking a step back. “Seduce me when we get home, Chosen One.” The order was firm as he turned around and hopped on the ledge of the building.

“Weasley, trip and catch on fire. Make my night.”

They watched Draco give Harry a flirty wave and a kiss with his palm before jumping off the building.

“I hate him,” Ron mumbled under his breath.

Harry held out his hand for Ron and pulled him to his feet. “I love him.”

“God knows why.” Ron shook his head. “I still can’t fathom why you would marry him. He’s a villain.”

Before Harry could respond, Ron came to a standstill with a look of horror on his face. “He said fire, right? That means—”

A giant explosion in the distance had Ron groaning loudly. “Great. Just great. We are going to be here all night. I swear if he blew up the bakery, I will kill him. That one is my favorite.”

Harry shook his head as he made his way towards the ledge. He had a husband to catch.

—————————

To those who have left me prompts, I will get to them. Eventually.

#Drarry #Draco Malfoy #Harry Potter #Superheroes #Villain Draco #Hero Harry #The Chosen One #The Slytherin

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fearlesslyenchantedinwonderland · 7 years

Text

Look What You Made Me Do Music Video First (few) Impressions and Thoughts

Are we out of the woods yet? No.

Are we in the clear yet? No.

She lost him

But she found herself and then everyone on the outside decided to step on her for every little thing and now she’s done with it

(I swear every few listens I am going to get more and more enraged about all the *you know what* they put her through)

The first thing I thought of during the opening was haunted…which is also fitting because people thought similar things about the OOTW mv

The old Taylor is Dead LITERALLY. It’s brilliant. It’s OOTW Taylor, the last mv Taylor we’ve seen and that mv video ended ambiguously, so new Taylor could’ve killed old Taylor. The beginning is also very theatrical which reminds me of pieces of OOTW which is another great tie in.

Nils Stoberg - This Is What You Came For…all the haters you came but girlllll she dominated and there’s nothing that you can deny we’re all dead

2014 met gala Taylor swift is in the grave which seemly transitions us into bathtub Taylor. Met Gala Taylor gave me PLL vibes but I will say it over and over again that she is a genius, this is 2014 Taylor going in the grave. 2014 Taylor is the Taylor who put out an album about how she found herself again and then everyone walked on her (*realized she’ll be underground and ppl would actually walk over her wow*)

Somethings never change, starting with Bathtub Taylor we still have those same red lips. We have the $1 bill from the Trial which is EVERYTHING. What that man did is disgusting and is NEVER OK. I get Blank Space mv vibes from bathtub Taylor. I love how the makeup is very smoky to give reckless feel to it all…or just like you got in a steamy tub

Snake thrown all I can think is… were there any real snakes. I doubt that would be the case *flashback to love story bts video with the spider.* The teapot and cup, while it is being served by snakes it gives me beauty and the beast vibes like I was the beauty now I’m the beast or that new post going around I’m a nightmare dressed like a nightmare. The pillars say “Et tu, Brute” which according to google is

A Latin sentence meaning “Even you, Brutus?” from the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare. Caesar utters these words as he is being stabbed to death, having recognized his friend Brutus among the assassins. Note : “Et tu, Brute?” is used to express surprise and dismay at the treachery of a supposed friend.

Even friends can’t be trusted. Keep your eye out. (this phrase is also on the arm of the chair - which are shaped as skulls)

I also like that this scene is in conjunction with one of the “I got smarter” lines because I would equate Shakespeare with being intelligent (obv there’s a lot of different types of intelligence..but). Also “list of names and yours is in red underline while her dress is red and the chair she is sitting at has red accents).

I knew that her rings were snakes (obviously) but her shoes, her bracelet, and her necklace are either snakes or snake inspired which again has me like wow at the detailing. And then all the snakes pop up when she’s like ahh (makes me think of the promo video)

Her entire look in the Maserati scene is hideous and I love it. She has a snakeskin dress on with cheetah print and a cheetah wearing a 13 chain in the back seat (they better be fake). A reference to RED the song and album with a Grammy in hand. “love is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street.” she’s tying all the loose ends lol. And even the fire: “it’s burning red.” And before I end on this section I must mention NO ONE helps her once she crashes they just photograph her (paps give me I know places vibes, but she didn’t get to their (her and her Cheetahs) place.

ORANGE OUT FIT I AM DYING THIS IS MY FAVORITE LOOK. ALSO. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE TATTOO CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE TATTOO THE THATTOO. The cage gives me Miley Cyrus Can’t be tamed vibes. Also, I love the glitter on the bottom the cage (you still sparkle my dear).

Cat bank robbery. Interesting. Kinda creepy for me. She likes cats. Gives me WANEGBT mv vibes. People think she’s doing all this stuff for the money but she takes her songs off of Spotify so that new up and coming musicians can get fair pay, she asked for $1 from her trial, she has always tried her best to keep tour ticket pricing low so that everyone can come..like don’t tell me she’s in it for the money. MUSIC IS TAYLROS THERAPY. TAYLOR IS A WRITER AND SHE’S BRILLANT it makes her happy and yep.

Ok idky but my mind just went to OITNB and now I feel like the cage scene is, even more, brilliant bc orange jumpsuits in jail while she’s caged away…but there’s still glitter on the floor and she’s having a feast…it’s too late for me to figure out the symbolism in this.

Don’t ask me why but the beginning of the cage scene made me think of the 7th harry potter book/movie when they are at the ministry of magic and they are trying to break into Umbridge’s office and they use one of Fred and Georges stink bombs or something from the shop.Ironically they later do break into a bank and the snake is a very important part of the story.

Her sweatshirt says blind for love, which…do I need to say anything?? We have the motorcycle scene which made me think of 1D’s MM music video (very different and defs their worst mv but that’s what it made me think of)

My favorite part of the squad scene is the fact that her hairline is outlined with GLITTER. I had thoughts about the squad earlier but now I don’t remember but my girl’s boobs look good and like hello latex. (blah blah blah all the bs about her “squad” in the media). What is u squad…what’s the U for? Note her squad is broken and useless at the end and she’s all alone. also, note the room they’re using when looking in the background is really cool.

I need to rewatch the blank space music video because I swear this is the same set. Watching her dancers before they get their walkie talkies out is brilliant. Is he holding a wonderstruck enchanted perfume bottle?

Next is a snippet of Airplane Taylor which is sooo hard to see, but she’s cutting a wing off (Harry?) and she’s got a bandana on which makes me think Kennedy phase

And then we have the star of the show. Old Taylors crawling up like corpses. There’s not much to say except I LOVE THIS PART. I do have a question tho… do we have any Taylor Swift era Taylor’s I mean sparkly guitar could be seen as our song but the dress is fearless. Does that mean that that version of Taylor Swift is still there? or is untouched? That era didn’t have as many staple music video characters .. if she would’ve pulled an outfit though still probs been from our song. I need a side by side comparisons of all the Taylors found. Someone make this please (since it’s taking me 10 years there’s probs already one out).

STOP TELLING ME TAYLOR SWIFT CAN’T DANCE. also half the people saying that probably can’t dance either and WHO CARES. It’s not her profession were all just trying to have some fun. You’re the one missing out.

One of my favorite clips is Taylor walking away from the Maserati scene. No one helped her but now she’s bigger and better and she’s leaving everyone who left her out to burn to save themselves.

THE WINK. HELLO.

Casually picks up 2 motorcycles.

THis doesn’t matter at all but that airplane looks dusty. Anyways I love that airplane Taylor in a tropical shirt is just chilling in the background when all the other Taylors bicker.

The line up is obviously the best part. When initially watching it I didn’t realize it was still going I thought the applause was from the VMA crowd. I love how each Taylor has a different bow.

YBWM Taylor is my Taylor out of the old ones. Me is the VMA Taylor.

Yeah wow. It was amazing. Side note from the sneak preview we had gotten of Taylor I defs thought the taco bell?? commercial was the mv for a second while I was watching the vma’s and then I was like nope. lol.

Love you girl it was amazing.

#Taylor Swift #Look What you made me do #taylurking #lwymmd #T swift #swifties #music video #vmas #2017 #mtv #music video awards #ts6 #first impressions #review

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elenaferrante · 7 years

Text

Kiwi Analysis

So, on Friday, me & @captiveharts read the lyrics of this song almost at the same time, and then when we started discussing them, we realized we both had thought the same thing. Yes, we do think it’s a song about stunting, and we do think it’s about a stunt in particular. Not b*bygate, though, but H*ylor (that is probably the stunt lol). And Harry saying this song started as a joke at the Breakfast Show with Nick, made us think this probably started as a “you know, i really need to get this off my chest” thing: it started as a joke meaning that he probably wanted to make fun of her and of her habit of writing about her exes. It was probably just “a bit of a banter,” & then at some point, they must have gone like “you know, this could be good,” & turned into a proper song. But with no further delay, let’s start our analysis.

● “She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes Hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect.”

○ The first line can be a metaphor of how TS started from the bottom as a Miss Nothing & then turned into a pop princess/America’s sweetheart™,

○ The second line can be about how business-woman-alike she always acts. Everyone always says – even if she enjoys acting like a naive little girl – she’s actually really smart (& she knows it).

● “And all the boys, they were saying they were into it,”

○ where “all the boys” are obviously all the men TS stunted with

■ many of whom are surrounded by gay rumours,

■ reenacting every single rom-com cliché (no, Tom Hiddleston, I haven’t forgiven you yet for going around with that hideous I <3 TS tank top)

■ “Into it” can also be interpreted as a way of accepting a deal, & getting along with it.

● “Such a pretty face, on a pretty neck.”

○ Does this one really need an explanation?

● “It’s New York, baby, always jacked up, Whole tunnels, foreign noises always backed up.”

○ Well, NYC plays a big role both in TS’ personal life, and for the whole length of that mess that was H*ylor.

○ The lines Harry & his co-authors wrote seem in fact to mock a bit TS’s Welcome to New York (Walkin’ through a crowd, the village is aglow / Kaleidoscope of a loud, heartbeats under coats)

○ Harry and Taylor are papped several times together in NYC:

■ The first time they were spotted together was in Central Park

■ Taylor went to 1D’s after party after their concert at the MSG,

■ They were both papped again in NYC while leaving their hotels

■ They were seen together at the Jingle Ball’s backstage

■ And of course there’s the whole super yikes NYE ball drop thing.

● “When she’s alone, she goes home to a cactus,”

○ This is probably the most “obscure” line in the whole song, but we thought it could mean that she’s basically going home alone, finding nothing but a plant in her empty house. TS likes surrounding herself with people – her “squad”, her countless boyfriends – but at the end of the day, these are mostly stunts. We don’t know which relationships she has are actually real (*cough* Karlie i know you’re real *cough*), but most of them are probably just for the sake of the press and the media.

● “In a black dress, she’s such an actress,”

○ TS is actually known for wearing a lot of black dresses/outfits

○ She referred to herself as “the girl in the dress” in Dear John (The girl in the dress cried the whole way home and The girl in the dress wrote you a song).

○ About the actress thing, well:

■ TS is literally an actress as well since she played a couple of roles in some movies (Valentine’s Day, The Giver, etc),

■ she’s an actress metaphorically because of all of her stunts & the girl next door image she’s built for herself.

○ But with this line, Harry also seems to mock an old TS’s song, Better Than Revenge, where on her turn, she was mocking a girl who had “stolen her boyfriend from her” (She’s not a saint & she’s not what you think / she’s an actress, oh oh / she’s better known for the things that she does / on the mattress, oh oh).

● “Driving me crazy, but I’m into it, but I’m into it, I’m kinda into it, It’s getting crazy, I think I’m losing it, I think I’m losing it.”

○ Okay, first of all, crazy. Harry repeats it twice in each chorus, & he stresses it when he sings it.

○ Crazy is definitely a word that comes up to everybody’s mind when they think of TS:

■ because of the psycho girlfriend image that has been build up around her public persona (there are loads of parodies on Youtube, media have often talked about it)

■ and eventually, she has – very smartly – referenced it herself in Shake It Off and especially Blank Space (and in fact she acts like a psychopath in the Blank Space music video, mocking the idea that the GP & the media have of her).

○ But “crazy” is a term she often uses in her own songs as well,

■ Picture To Burn (Tell you friends I’m obsessive & crazy, that’s fine, I’ll tell mine that you’re gay),

■ I’m Only Me When I’m With You (You drive me crazy half of the time), etc

■ She uses it in the initial monologue in the I Knew You Were Trouble music video,

■ and she has a whole song called Crazier.

○ The whole “into it” escalation, on the other hand, seems like a young Harry trying to convince himself that this stunt won’t be this bad:

■ his managers were probably telling him how a good idea this would be, how his popularity would increase, he must have told himself that he would have survived this, that he’d have managed to appear into her,

■ only to realize that no, he wouldnt have been able to do this cause the whole stunt was getting insane, and that H*ylor was the worst thing ever (for both him & Louis), and that’s why he then proceeds to sing “I think I’m losing it”.

● “I think she said ‘I’m having your baby, it’s not of your business’”.

○ Of course, this is a metaphor. this girl mentioned in this song sounds extremely bossy, and lowkey psycho, and that’s a great description for TS (her public persona, at least).

○ This is TS saying: “I want all the promo I can get, and I don’t care if you hate it. We signed a deal, so now shut your mouth cause I’m getting what I want.” She’s stubborn, she doesn’t think about him anymore, she just wants to help herself and, indeed, she has done that even way after the end of H*ylor, publicly shading Harry, and implying that great part of 1989 (& not only) was written about Harry (and by the way, there have also been rumours, back during H*ylor, that TS was indeed pregnant of Harry).

○ Harry might have also take inspiration from another stunt (*cough cough* b*abygate *cough cough*) for this particular line

● “She sits beside me like a silhouette, Hard candy dripping on me till my feet are wet.”

○ These are the infamous lines that made people accusing Harry of encouraging pedophily (yikes). First of all, we definitely don’t think Harry was aware of the metaphorical meaning of “hard candy” (I had no idea either), and we actually think that “hard candy” is just the name of a drink, a very girly one btw, that for sure would fit TS’s sweetheart image, and of course it’d make sense since Harry sings that “it’s dripping on him till his feet are wet.” (And btw, there’s also a scene in the Blank Space mv where Taylor eats a hard candy & the camera focuses on her face).

● “And now she’s all over me,”

○ Well, she was quite literally all over him during H*ylor

○ and she made sure to stay all over him with all the songs she implied were about him.

● “It’s like I paid for it, it’s like I paid for it, I’m gonna pay for it.”

○ Harry here might refer initially to the whole stunt thing: their relationship is nothing but a fauxmance, it’s literally hiring someone to play his beard.

○ And then, he refers to when the realization of what was going on sank in: he was gonna pay the consequences for this stunt for a long, long time (in fact, he still is since media still ask him about her).

In conclusion, this song seems to us Harry’s reply at all the songs she implied were about him, at all the very obvious attempts of shading him she’s done through the years. But this song, this is not a Style 2.0, it’s not even another Perfect. This is extremely subtle, and one can get the reference only reading carefully into the lyrics. It’s Harry’s way to get back at her, but in a classy way (unlike hers), and by mocking Better Than Revenge, he’s basically saying: “Take this, Taylor. There is nothing I do better than revenge.”

#so this is our theory #there are too many coincidences #and well we know harry is in fact very petty lol #writing this took way longer than expected #and it's definitely waaay longer than we expected lol #there were many things to say i guess #btw the html is grace's work #thanks babe <3 #kiwi #solo harry #hs1 #harrystyles #harry styles #analysis #lyrics #song analysis #julie dixit

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fangirltypec · 7 years

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But that was before | Stiles fluff/smut

A/N: hi guys, this is my first time writing a short story so please give feedback :) I am planning on making another part to it which will be a little smuttier.

Plot: Stiles X reader. You return to beacon hills after some time away to find that Lydia is having a party and the girls are desperate for you to go, but you just want to see Stiles, who doesn't know your back.

*Y/N- your name, Y/L/N- your last name, Y/E/C- your eye colour

"Come on y/n" Malia begs for the fifth time today as she jogs up beside you "you have to come" "And why is that exactly ?" You say as you continue to walk down the corridor towards chemistry. "Because it wouldn't exactly be a pack party without the whole pack" You couldn't help but laugh at her naivety "I hate to break it to you Mal but this isn't a pack gathering" you grin as you pull Lydia's party poster from your pocket and pass it to Her "it's a school gathering"

You and Malia both came into chemistry late, again, it wasn't intentional it was just like your subconscious was trying so save you both from the torture of Mr Harris' replacement. Ever since the darach sacrifices, beacon hills teaching staff have been fleeing the school; even Lydia's mom had to step in to teach AP Biology for a while. It's hard to think that you used to hate Harris when this guy was a thousand times worse. Unfortunately for you, Mr Michealson had been the most stable substitute teacher you have had all year. "Nice of you to join us Ms. Y/L/N, Ms Tate" he said without even looking at you or taking his eyes off the board. The day dragged. Lydia was off school 'ill' (aka setting up the lakehouse for the party later) plus Scott and stiles had a lacross away game all day and coach said you were a distraction so he has banned you from watching it since the start of the year. You weren't actually a distraction, you had just watched practice so many times that you seemed to know more of the rules than coach did and he certainly did not appreciate being told when he is wrong which usually resulted in "Damm it Y/L/N, get out of my face". So after a long ass day you headed home, dropped your bags on the floor and collapsed onto the sofa. Nap time was your favourite part of the day, especially on a Friday. You had only started back to school again today but it felt like you had never left. The buzzing of the doorbell woke you and you unwillingly made your way to the door, opening it to reveal a happy faced Lydia holding a handful of shopping bags. "Surprise" she said as she shuffled past you into the hallway. You gave her a questioning look- everybody knew that to wake you from your nap is a dangerous game but this was Lydia and for some frustrating reason you couldn't be mad at her. "Malia told me you weren't coming to the party so I'm here to make sure you are. There is no way you are leaving me on my own- Scott will be glued to Kira the entire night just like Liam and Hayden, Malia will probably be trying to kill somebody and stiles- well god knows what stiles will be doing. I need at least one sane person to dance with" She continued to list reasons why you should go for at least another 10 minutes until you finally gave in. She told you to shower and when you returned to your room she had displayed all the outfits she had brought. Immediately you seen bright colours: green, orange , even electric blue. "Your joking right ?" The most adventurous you ever got was burgundy, khaki and white. Other than black obviously. Instead you look in your own closet and find a over-sized black T-Shirt with the logo of your favourite band on the front and throw it at Lydia. "Please tell me your not wearing that?" She said holding it up and examining it. "Watch me" After discovering that You were not joking she headed home to get herself ready after telling you to make sure you look gorgeous because basically the entire teenage population of Beacon Hills were invited. You knew not to underestimate her, she knows everybody and everyone knows that Lydia Martins parties are legendary (even if she did poison everyone with wolfsbane last time). For once you decided to take her advice and go moderately glam. After all this was your first weekend back in Beacon Hills. Your grandparents insisted you and your mom moved back up to New York for a few months during the aftermath of the sacrifices or 'mass murders' as everyone else knew them which really sucked considering you had really started to make real friends here. Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Kira, Malia. Stiles. The thought of him made you nervous. God you had missed him. His adorable goofy personality and those sparky caramel eyes. Platonically, you kept having to remind yourself, You missed him platonically. He was currently dating Malia but he was still completely obsessed with Lydia. Sitting at your dressing table, you began your make up. Fake eyelashes, Matte nude lips, eyeliner, curled hair; the whole shebang. Before grabbing your favourite underwear set and slipping the T-Shirt over your head. The shirt was long enough that it covered your ass but short enough that you could still see some of your thighs. You pulled on your over the knee high boots and added your iconic gold hoop earrings before walking over to the mirror. Your confidence had risen considerably over the past few months away so how you looked now was much much better than the skinny jeans and flannel you usually wore to parties. Looking back what you wore was hideous but at the time you were invisible to everybody so it didn't matter. That was until Lydia took you under her wing and you found yourself trying to impress people. Impress stiles. Both of which were impossible when you are best friends with Lydia Martin. You adored the girl but her goddess-like looks and faultless personality felt like a curse to you sometimes. This was all before. Before New York. Before everything changed. Before you changed. Now, staring back at the reflection in the mirror you couldn't help feel nervous about reuniting with the pack. Three months away and you felt like a different person what if they thought so too ? Putting the doubts to the back of your mind you headed downstairs and your mom dropped you at the lake house on her way to work.

The place was packed out, just as Lydia had predicted. You made your way into the the kitchen which was surprisingly one of the quieter rooms. Lydia had a drinks table in practically every room so the kitchen was nothing special. Nobody except malia and Lydia knew you were here, you hadn't told anybody you were coming back to Beacon Hills yet, you wanted it to be a surprise. So instead you send '911' text to Lydia asking her where she was. As you waited you poured yourself a drink, settling on the bottled vodka you didn't want to risk anything without a sealed cap, just in case. "No, I'm telling you dude, something is off I can smell it" you heard scotts voice and felt the nerves start up again knowing who's voice would surely follow. "Scott there are possibly hundreds of people here your senses are probably just overwhelmed" You were right, of course it was stiles. "Stiles I-" "No for once please just let it be that simp- Y/N?" You looked up to see Scott and stiles now standing in the kitchen doorway. Stiles was wearing his usual red/green flannel and white T-shirt with chinos and his famous black all stars. His hair had grown since the last time You had seen him and was spiked more than usual. Maybe he was trying a new party look too. You wanted to run and hug him but somehow all I could manage was 'hi'. Stiles stayed silent, his mouth kept moving like he was trying to formulate words but nothing ever came out. Scott asked me how I was and was just about to hug me before Kira came into the room and pulled him away to dance, she was too intoxicated to even see you. "Hi" stiles finally spoke "that's all I get, 'hi'?" "What do you want me to say" "You were gone for 6 months y/n, your mom came back to town 4 months ago. Nobody has heard from you since you left and all we get is 'hi'" I couldn't tell if his voice was more hurt or anger. "I'm sorry stiles I-" "Your sorry ?! I have been going out of my freaking mind ! I was about to set up a crime board to look for you, I thought you were dead y/n !" his hands were running through his hair and his voice was raising. He was mad. You didn't mind that he was mad at you, all you kept hearing in your head were 'I have been going out of my freaking mind'. He was worried about you and that made you a whole new kind of nervous. That gave your dreams some kind of hope. "I had to get away for a while, I have had stuff to deal with" you spoke softly really not wanting to argue with him "Forget it. If you were too god damm busy to drop even one of us a text to let us know that you weren't rotting in some ditch somewhere then explain how every second of your days were occupied, please I am just dying to know" "oh my" Lydia swayed into the room and hugged you tightly "literally only you could make a t-shirt look like Versace. Doesn't she look great stiles ?- wait where did he go" drunk as she was, she was right he had disappeared.

He really was mad at you this time. You and stiles had little arguments all the time but usually just about the current beacon hills bad guy or how you had never watched a single Star Wars movie, it was never usually serious; not like this. You walked into the main area and he wasn't there so you head back into the kitchen when you notice the patio doors open. You walk out to see him pacing off towards the boat house. This needed to be sorted, so you followed him. By the time you got there he was already sitting near the edge staring out onto the lake so you took a seat beside him. "Don't bother with me, I know you have other 'stuff' to deal with" "Stiles come on, I needed to get my head round everything" "You could have called one of us, called me" "It's not a story I could tell over the phone Stilinski okay?!" He looked at me with a wild look "and what you think we haven't had shit to deal with too huh ?! I broke up with Malia, The pack totally fell apart oh and I killed somebody so to say I needed you is a bit of an understatement and I don't even get an explanation for why you left ?!" You knew about Donovan, Lydia had caught you up on everything that had happened during the time you were gone, you felt so guilty but you couldn't come back. You took a deep breath, you didn't want to do this tonight but it looked like you weren't going to have much choice. As you stared at him you allowed your y/e/c eyes to light into a bright amber. "You-" he breathed "werewolf ?! How, what when" he spat his words out at a million miles per hour. This was ,in the words of Derek, the 'hyperactive spaz' you fell for. "As I said... stuff to deal with but can we talk about that tomorrow" With a nodd the shock slowly faded from his face "So your back then ? For good ?" He spoke, less mad than earlier. "For good" you smiled shyly "Thank god, I couldn't loose you again" he froze, clearly not meaning to say it out loud but it was too late you heard. you looked up at him, your heart breathing a million to one "I mean not that I lost you specifically I mean the others probably missed you too I just-" You smashed your lips against his, you needed this, you had dreamt of these very lips for the months you were gone. Even if it was just for a second you needed to know what it felt like. Except to your astonishment, it wasn't for a second, he didn't pull away. In fact he did the very opposite. His hand matted itself into your curls as he pulled you against him closely. Both of you not stopping for breath as much as you needed to. Eventually he pulled away and you slowly peeled your eyes open. You could smell the rush coming off him and it made a fire run through your veins. You both searched eachothers faces unsure of your next move. Whilst you were trying to think of another way to stop him rambling again he latched his lips into yours once more. He lifted your hips and lifted you so that you were straddling his waist. Stiles' hand held your waist close to his, his hands feeling huge against your waist. "Fuck" he muttered as he began to kiss down your neck and chest until his mouth reached the top of your shirt. Stiles looked up at you, his eyes looked more a dark golden shade than caramel up close, before he paused movements and came back to kissing your lips, making a moan of impatience leak from your mouth making him chuckle. "I want to be so mad at you" he said resting his forehead against yours as he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you ?" You didn't know what to say, instead you just stared downwards. "I spent weeks trying to question your mom about where you were until she started to avoid me. Then you just stroll back into the party looking like a whole different person and you literally said 'hi' I-" "If I frustrate you so much why did you kiss me back, maybe you shouldn't have bothered" you growl as you tried to slide off him, but he was holding your hips. Your growl clearly not bothering him as much as you hoped it would. Of course he wasn't bothered, he had dated Malia after all. A look of confusion flashed across his face "what ? No. No that's not what I meant. I want to be so mad at you. I do, but i don't want to waste time pretending that I'm miserable when actually when I seen you standing there I felt like the air had been knocked out of me" he said slightly blushing "your gorgeous you know that ?" Your frown melted away into the biggest smile. You felt like an idiot for smiling so much but you couldn't hide it. "I know I don't dress the same but I wouldn't go that far stiles" "You always have been, you just tried to hide it" he kissed you again but this time you felt a tingle in the pit of your stomach. This was so worth the wait. His hands laced themselves in your hair again, yours resting on his chest. You felt the muscles beneath your finger tips and you couldn't help but visualize what he looked like without the shirt. The idea of it alone drove you crazy making you softly growl into the kiss making stiles pull away. "Umm Y/N... your eyes" "Sorry" you giggled, now you were the one blushing "I'm still getting the hang of this whole wolf thing" The sky behind you had just set and the stars begun to show. The music from the house was still audible but you and Stiles were in your own little world. A world you never wanted to end. It felt like a dream and if it was there was no way you wanted to wake up any time soon.

#teen wolf #stiles stilinski #stiles stilinksi imagine #stiles smut #stiles fluff #teen wolf imagine #short story #teen wolf short #stiles x reader

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